Tate King and the Wolf Call
by AjaBadjer
Summary: Tate King, an eleven year old girl, lives in the wizarding world in 2006. Her parents fought in the last Wizarding war, alongside Harry Potter. Join Tate and her friends in their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Side note: If you are completely opposed to gay or lesbian relationships, this story, at least certain parts of it, is not for you.
1. Chapter 1

"Happy Birthday!" Tate King sat with her parents in the kitchen of their house in Hogsmead. It was Tate's eleventh birthday, a big day in the life of a witch or wizard. Tate blew out the candles on her small cake, and her dad cut her a piece.

"Tate,I should probably be off now." Her dad said apologetically.

"Aw, why?" Tate asked.

"Work is very busy." He answered, "Lots of stuff still to do with the, you know."

"But the war ended years ago! Eight years ago! There's still more to do?"

"Yes, just… Details." He answered. He kissed Tate's mom on the cheek, hugged Tate, and walked out the door. Tate got up and ran to the living room window that was next to the kitchen. She waved at her dad as he walked down the front steps of their small porch, turned on the spot, and disappeared.

Tate returned to the table and sat down. Together, she and her mom finished their cake in silence.

"Mum, I'm going to go upstairs and wait for my letter to arrive." Tate said.

"Alright, just be sure to open a window so the owl can get in." Her mom said.

"Sure." Tate said. She raced up the stairs to her second story bedroom.

An hour later, Tate sat in her room, still waiting for the owl with her letter to arrive. She had opened the arched window in her room to let in some cool air, since her room got stiflingly hot in the summer. Clothes littered the dark wood floor of her room, and posters of her favourite quidditch team, the Hollyhead Harpies, littered clustered the wall. Her bed and the rest of her room were anything but tidy, with the desk littered with paper and dresser drawers flung open. The powder-blue sheets on her four-poster bed were bunched and twisted, and the brown drapes that hung from the bed were lazily pushed aside. The bookshelf, however, was a whole other level of messy. Books were stacked, crammed, and piled any way they could be, and were continuously falling off. The one part of the room that wasn't messy was a small corner. In it was a cream coloured armchair, a small tray table, and Tate's cello.

That was where Tate was now, curled up and reading a book. Suddenly, a large eagle owl came swooping into the room, sending papers flying. The owl landed on Tate's cello, and stuck out its left leg for her to untie the letter. She detached the letter from the owl's leg, and it flew away.

"Mum, my letter's just come!" She yelled down the stairs, before sitting back down and opening the envelope. She took out the first piece of paper and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

HEADMISTRESS: Amanda Wells

Dear ,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Celesta Flora

Deputy headmistress

She then took out the other piece of paper, the list of supplies for the coming year. Tate grabbed both papers and ran downstairs.

"Mum?" She yelled, stumbling down the stairs, "Mum? I need to go to Diagon Alley on Wednesday, can I use your owl to send a letter to Grace?" She jumped the last two stairs and ran into the kitchen, where her mother sat reading the Daily Prophet. "Mum, can we go to Diagon Alley on Wednesday? And can I borrow your owl? I need to ask Grace if she can meet us there." Tate repeated.

Her mom looked up from the paper, smiling. "Of course, dear. We can stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a night, if that's alright. It would give us more time to shop."

"Ooh, yes Mum!" Tate said. She loved going to the Leaky Cauldron. "But Mum, the owl." She reminded.

"Oh, alright dear. He's in the study." Her mom sighed.

"Thanks, Mum!" Tate yelled, running through the living room and into the study. She sat down at the desk and reached into a drawer. She pulled out a piece of parchment, dipped her eagle feather quill into a drawer. And wrote:

Grace,

Mum said that I can go to Diagon Alley on Wednesday, and I was hoping to meet you there. We're to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a night. If you can come, I'll see you there. If not, well, see you at Hogwarts.

Bye,

Tate.

She out the quill back into the inkwell, and tied the letter to her mom's small barn owl, Apollo's leg. She then opened the window. Apollo soared out into the sunset.


	2. Chapter 2

Tate raced upstairs and flung open her closet door. She grabbed her pyjamas off a shelf, knocking her knee on her school trunk in the process, and tossed them on her bed. Then she glanced at herself in the mirror. A short girl looked back at her, with medium length caramel red hair and blue eyes. She slammed the closet door and jumped into bed. Tomorrow she would finally get a wand!

The next morning Tate was awoken by a cold blast of air coming through her open window, and the hooting of an unfamiliar tawny owl. It was perched on the edge of Tate's table, and was wet from last nights light summer rain. Tate slowly got up and padded over to the owl. It stuck out its right leg, and she sloppily untied the letter. She opened it and read:

Tate,

Mum says I can come today, so we'll stay the night, although we might get there late, around 4:00. My little sister has to come, but she's quiet and will stay with Mum. I can't wait to see you!

Sincerely,

Grace

Tate finished reading and was suddenly wide awake. She tiptoed over to her closet, and slowly opened the door. She picked out her favourite outfit; jeans and a white peasant shirt. She heard her mom walking up the stairs and opened the door for her.

"Morning Tate." She said. "My, your room is a mess. Would you like me to tidy it up for you?" She asked. Not waiting for a reply, she waved her wand. Books righted themselves on bookshelves, and the bed made itself. Clothing hung on hangers and flew shelves, and spare papers flew into the waste basket. After the din of the room cleaning itself subsided, Tate thought of something.

"Mum," she asked, " how are we getting to Diagon Alley?"

"Well," her mom replied, " I was thinking that we could do side-along apparation, but if you prefer, we could take the floo."

" I'm fine with apparation." Tate said.

"Alright, well, when you're ready, come down for breakfast, and we can get going." Tate, just realising how hungry she was, raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her mom came down after her, and waved her wand at the stove. Two pans flew on. Then, she waved her wand at some potatoes, which started skinning and shredding themselves, and at some eggs, which cracked themselves over a pan and started frying.

Tate wolfed down her eggs and hash browns, and ran to the door. She fastened her brown traveling cloak around her neck and yelled "Mum, I'm ready when you are!" They then walked out of the house into the sunny but chilly morning. She grasped her mom's hand, and they turned on the spot,

Tate felt like her head and lungs were being pushed in, and the rest of her body was being pulled and twisted, but after a few seconds she could breathe, and the sound of Charring Cross road exploded in her ears.

They walked across the busy road and a small pub that was invisible to muggle eyes. Tate sat down at a table while her mom went to get a room.

"Hello, we'd like to get a room for two." Tate heard her say.

"Alright. Room 5 is available. It'll be 2 galleons, 1 sickle, and 5 knuts." The barman Tom said in a gruff voice.

Tate's mom grabbed the coins out of her purse, put them on the bar, and walked over to Tate.

" We're in room five dear. I grabbed your go." They then walked up the stairs and into a narrow hall which housed the rooms. They made their way to room five, and slowly pushed the door open. Inside the room were two old fashioned four-poster beds, an old mirror that talked to you, and a dresser. A window looked out over muggle London.

Once they were settled, Tate ran back down the stairs and into a small brick alley behind the pub. Her mom followed, and tapped a brick with her wand. The wall started to move, and a hole appeared, which turned into an archway.

Authors Note

Hi Guys! This is my first story I've published, so constructive criticisim is very much appreciated! I apologise for any spelling and/or grammar errors. Sorry about the shortness of these first two chapters. Anyway, I forgot to mention at the beginning that even though I wish I did, I do not own Hogwarts, or any of the characters from the original Harry Potter books. Neville and Percy will be in the story later on, but not until Hogwarts, and Oliver Wood may be mentioned a bit, but i'm not sure yet. Thank you so much to the readers! Also, if you comment, if you are on Pottermore, you can put your house. I was sorted into Sytherin and Hufflepuff.

-AjaBadjer


	3. Chapter 3

A burst of noise and light met Tate's eyes and ears as she walked into Diagon Alley. Witches and wizards milled around, chatting and looking in shop windows, wearing countless colours of robes.

"Tate," Tate's mom half-yelled, " I think we ought to stop by Ollivanders first, and then Madam Malkin's." They made their way through the crowds to an old shop at the end of the alley. It's paint was chipping, and a faded sign read:

OLLiVANDER'S, MAKERS OF FINE WANDS SINCE 382 C.E

Tate pushed open the door and stepped inside. The shop was dark and quiet, compared to the busy chaos outside. She sat down on an old chair and waited.

After a few minutes, an old, frail man walked out of the back of the shop. He started writing in a large book on the front desk, and gave a start when he saw Tate.

"Ah, . I have been expecting you, but I did not know you would come today." He exclaimed. He then walked to the back of the shop and took a long, thin box from one of the dusty shelves. He walked back to where Tate was and opened the box. He took out a wand and gave it to her,

"Yew, phoenix feather core, seven inches exactly. Very flexible. Give it a try." He said. Tate waved the wand, sending out a shower of sparks and setting a quill alight. "Well, I guess not." Ollivander said, grabbing the wand from Tate and placing it back in the box. He then grabbed another box from the shelf, opened it, and gave the wand to Tate. "Twelve inches, cherry wood, dragon heartstring, very stiff." He said. Tate waved the wand at a glass jar, and it promptly exploded. "No, no no!" Ollivander cried, taking the wand and putting it back in its box. He ran up the stairs and grabbed a very dusty box from the loft level above. He ran back down the stairs and handed the wand to Tate, saying "Ten inches, beech wood, unicorn hair, springy." In a hurried manner. Tate waved the wand at a wooden chair, and it was reduced to splinters. Ollivander grabbed the wand and walked to the back of the shop.

This process continued for what seemed like hours. "Here, try this one." Ollivander said, after countless tries. "Fifteen inches, ivy wood, Thestral hair core, surprisingly springy and swishy." Tate took the wand and waved it, waiting for something to explode, but all that happened was that the wand spewed a small jet of water that disappeared in mid-air. "Well, I think that's it!" Ollivander beamed. Tate paid for the wand and walked outside.

She saw her mom sitting by Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop with a pile of books. She then ran over and sat down.

"Thanks for getting my books, Mum." She said. "Can we go stop by Madam Malkin's? I need to get school robes."

"Yes, I know Tate. But aren't you hungry? You took quite a long time finding a wand."

"No thanks Mum. I'm not hungry right now." She smiled. Her mom shook her head and got up, bringing the books along with her. The two of them walked along the cobble street glancing in windows. Tate stopped at the menagerie.

" Mum, can I get a pet?" She asked, looking in the window at owls and cats.

" We can look, dear. But we might not find something you like." Her mom said. Tate grinned and ran into the shop. She looked at the rats, but she didn't see any she liked. Then she moved on to the cats. At once a tiny tortoise pattern kitten caught her eye. It was amazingly fluffy, and mewing constantly. "Mum, I found one!" Tate cried. Her mom came over and peered at the kitten.

" It's very cute Tate, but wouldn't an owl be more practical?" She asked.

"Could I get both?" Tate wondered aloud.

"No, you can only bring one pet to school."

"Okay," Tate sighed, "I want the cat, please." Her mom paid for the cat, and they walked out of the store, Tate holding the tiny fluff ball in her hands. "What should I call her?" She asked, strolling down the alley to Madam Malkin's, "I was thinking of Poppy, is that a good name?"

"That's a wonderful name, dear." Her mom said "Is that Grace getting her robes fitted?" She asked, pointing in the window. A girl that looked to be about Tate's age was standing on a stepping stool getting her robes fitted.

"Grace! Grace!" Tate yelled, waving her hands like crazy. The girl turned around and her face broke into a grin. She waved and turned back around. Tate tore into the shop and set down Poppy.

"Hogwarts too, dear?" Asked Madam Malkin.

"Yes please." Answered Tate, stepping onto the step stool that Madam Malkin had conjured. "So, how's your summer been?" She asked Grace.

"The normal." Grace replied in a bored voice, "Except this year I got to listen to Aiden brag about his first year at Hogwarts. He wouldn't stop going on about how he helped Slytherin to win the house cup, but I doubt he really did much other than lose them points. What about you?" She asked.

"Pretty good." Tate replied, "I went to a Weird Sisters with my cousin Mindy. She's in Gryffindor."

"Cool!" Grace said in awe. "Speaking of Gryffindor, what house do you think you'll be in? She asked.

"No idea." Tate said, her face falling. She had been thinking about this a lot over the summer. What if she wasn't sorted into a house, and she had to walk out of the great hall with hundreds of eyes watching her? She was pulled back to reality by Madam Malkin saying "Dears, your robes are done." Tate and Grace paid her and then walked out of the shop chatting about houses.

" I suppose I could be in Slytherin, but Dad said I could do well in Ravencl- OH! I forgot Poppy!" Tate gasped, running back into the store. She scooped up the furiously mewing kitten in her arms and ran back to Grace.

"So, where's your Mum?" Tate asked since she hadn't seen Grace's mom near Madam Malkin's.

"Oh, she's back at Ollivander's with Aiden." Grace said casually, looking in shop windows.

"But, I thought, he- he- HOW, IN MERLIN'S NAME DID HE DO HIS CLASSES LAST YEAR?" Tate burst out.

"Oh, he had a wand last year." Grace said seriously, "But, apparently he 'accidentally' broke it after exams. Of course, I wouldn't believe that if I were you. The things he gets up to though, honestly." She rolled her eyes, " People think I'm the older one." Tate started laughing at this, because both Grace and her brother tended to be trouble makers.


	4. Chapter 4

In the days counting up to September the first, Tate thought more and more about Hogwarts, and got successively more nervous. On the morning of September first, she woke up to the sound of heavy sheets of rain pounding her windows. She groggily got out of bed, yawning and stumbling to her closet. She randomly pulled out some clothes and put them on, realising that she had put her cardigan on inside-out. Once she had successfully put on all of her clothes the correct way, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. She put a waffle in the toaster and got herself a peach and a glass of milk. She sat down at the kitchen table in the breakfast nook and started reading the Daily Prophet that her dad had left out when he went to work.

A while later, Tate heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs and into the kitchen, and looked up from the article she had been reading, about a wizard who had tried to clone himself and ended up in 's with an extra pair of arms sticking out from either side of his head.

"Morning Mum." Tate said as her mom walked into the kitchen, clad in her S.P.E.W pyjamas, a society she was highly active in.

"M-m-morning, you're up early today." She said, stifling a yawn.

"Yes," Tate said, getting up and putting her dishes in the sink, "I wanted to be ready early, I still need to pack my trunk." With that, she hurried up the stairs.

Four and a half hours later, Tate and her mom were walking through a bustling Kings Cross station, making their way towards the wall between platforms nine and ten. Tate ran at the wall, pushing her luggage trolley, and came out on an even more crowded platform nine and three quarters. She made her way through the families, smoke, and robe clad students, tightly gripping a squirming Poppy.

"Tate! Tate!" She saw Grace running towards her and prepared to be almost knocked over by the enormous hug that was coming her way.

"Hi…" She said, her voice muffled by Grace's shoulder.

"Hi!" Grace squealed, " I thought you would miss the train!"

"Grace, it's only 10:40." Tate said, but Grace ignored her.

"Come on! Let's go get a compartment!" She said, dragging Tate along. They found a compartment easily, and were sitting in it when the door burst open.

"Tate! It's great to see you! Mind if I sit here?" Said Aiden, plopping down next to Tate.

"Aiden, stop." Grace ordered, "Go find your own compartment. You promised you would leave us alone." At this, Aiden sulked out of the compartment. Tate relaxed and leaned against the windows, lying across the seat.

A few minutes later, a short girl with short red hair timidly opened their compartment door.

"Hi, can I sit here? There's no other compartment with space." She asked.

"Of course." Tate answered, getting up to make room for the new girl. "Here, I can help you with your trunk if you like."

"Oh, yes please." Said the girl. After she and Tate had put her trunk in the luggage rack they sat back down.

"So what's your name?" Grace asked, "I'm Grace."

"Oh, Sophie." Said the girl, getting out a sketchbook and pencil.

"I'm Tate." Said Tate.

While the train sped through the countryside of England, and later Scotland, Tate, Grace, and Sophie chatted. Over the hours, the sun rose higher, and then sank down beyond the horizon. It was dark when the conductor yelled "HOGSMEAD STATION!" As they walked onto the platform, Tate could just see the lights of her house glittering on the hillside.

"Tate, ,let's go!" Grace whispered in her ear and pulling on her robes. They walked along the platform with the tide of students, but branched off when they heard a voice calling "First years this way please, don't be shy!" Tate, Grace, and Sophie made their way over to the voice, getting pushed and shoved by the masses of students now on the platform. When they got to where the voice was, they saw a large group of timid students grouped around a short, rather plump wizard holding a glowing lantern.

"Alright, is that all of you then? This way please." Said the wizard. They all followed him to a little dock by the edge of a lake, where there were fifteen little boats waiting for them.

"Now, divide up into groups of six or seven and get yourselves into a boat." Said the little wizard. Tate, Sophie, Grace, and three other girls got into a boat together, not saying much, for they were to nervous to talk. After everyone had gotten themselves in a boat, they began moving across the black water of the lake.

"Now, this is the Black Lake." Said the wizard from the boat leading the group. "Be careful, because it is very cold and it houses countless magical creatures."

"Ooh! Are there merpeople in the lake, sir?" Asked a girl in one of the first boats. The answer, however, was never heard because of a collective gasp and they rounded a cliff, and Hogwarts came into view. The castle looked spectacular, sitting on a hill overlooking the water. The windows were glowing with the light of candles and torches, and the first years could see the forms of horseless-carriages rolling up the lane towards the front steps.

"Now, watch your heads, we'll be getting off soon." Said the wizard. But there was no need to duck for the first years as they entered a cavern in the cliff. The boats docked at a stone walkway lit by torches, and the students got out of the boats. They stood shivering, for it was now very cold, waiting to be led.

"Go through the door on the right, and up the staircase. It will lead you to where you will wait for the sorting." Said the wizard. Tate and Grace led the way, climbing up the stairs. They reached a brightly lit room after climbing for at least five minutes. The room was cheery and warm, and it's walls were covered with portraits, all of which were moving. A woman was waiting for them, standing beside a merrily crackling fire in the fireplace.

"Good evening, children." The woman said, smiling, "It is my honour to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Shortly, you will be sorted into your houses. There are four houses; Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. Now, during your time at Hogwarts, you will be given points for your house for good deeds, but rule breaking will result in the deduction of points. Whichever house ends the year with the most points will win the House Cup. You will please wait here while the older students take their seats, and you will be called in when we are ready for you. Then the woman swept out of the room, her deep-violet robes flowing behind her.

The first years remained silent, nervously anticipating what was coming, and listening to the thundering footsteps of hundreds of students walking in a nearby hall. Grace was gripping Tate's hand tightly, looking at all of the portraits.

"How are you not nervous?" Tate whispered in her ear, thinking about the many things that could go wrong.

What if I'm not sorted into Ravenclaw like both my parents were and they hate me? She thought.

"I just don't show it." Grace whispered back.


	5. Chapter 5

Tate glanced around, watching the other kids, any of which could be in her house. Sophie was whispering with a girl with long brown hair, a group of haughty looking girls was chatting and giggling in a corner, and a clump of boys near Tate was discussing some goals made in the last quidditch game, Chudley Cannons versus Wimborne door to the room opened, and everyone fell silent.

"You may come in." Said the witch standing in the doorway. All of the first years filed out of the door in twos and threes and into the great hall.

At first, the light of a thousand floating candles overwhelmed Tate, and she had to blink several times to see straight. She and the other first years were walking in between the four house tables, walking towards the long table where all of the professors sat, watching them. They walked up to a stool where the sorting hat sat, already finishing its annual song.

" And so

My good friends,

Let the sorting

Begin!"

It finished, and the hall erupted in polite applause.

"Now, when I call your name, you will step forward, take a seat on the stool, and I will place the sorting hat on your head." Said the witch that they had followed out the door from the other room.

"Almay, Maya" a short girl with black hair stepped forward. She sat down and the hat was placed on her head. A minute later it called "Ravenclaw!" The table farthest to the left broke out in cheers.

"Beecher, Evan" A taller boy walked forward. "Gryffindor!" The table to the right of Tate applauded. Tate moved her attention from the sorting to the hall itself. The braziers holding the torches on the side of the hall were shaped like the house animals; Badgers, Lions, Eagles, and Snakes. The professors table sat on an area of slightly raised floor, and there was a magnificent window behind them that looked out over the lake. Tate looked up at the ceiling and found that it mirrored the starry sky outside.

"King, Tate" The witch standing at the front called, and Tate's head snapped back down. She swallowed, squeezed Grace's hand, and cautiously stepped forward. She sat down on the stool and the witch placed the sorting hat on her head, which slid down over her eyes, blocking her vision.

"Well..hmm.." Murmured the hat, and Tate wonder if the whole hall could hear it. "Yes, well… I see. If you wanted, you could do well in Slytherin. I see that you would go to great extent lengths to keep yourself out of harm, but you also have plenty of loyalty. You will put great attempts into saving those you are loyal to, and your loyalty outruns your ambition. Well, I think I am right in this decision. HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat cried. The table on the far right applauded loudly, and the hat was lifted off of Tate's head. She walked over to her cheering housemates, noticing that she was the first to be sorted into Hufflepuff. She listened closely as "Kamry, Jackson" was sorted into Slytherin, and "Knight, Jordan" was sorted into Hufflepuff. He sat next to Tate and said

"Jordan Knight, you?"

"Tate King." Answered Tate. They shook hands, and then went back to listening as "Lasker, Hannah" was sorted into Ravenclaw. Next, "London, Amelia" was sorted into Hufflepuff, as well as "Lennard, Nigel". After them came "Mason, Agathel" who was sorted into Ravenclaw, and "Menning, Jace" who was sorted into Slytherin, and also "Mallard, Jenissa", who was put into Hufflepuff.

Next, "Grey, Spohie" was called up, the short girl with red hair that Tate had met on the train. "Hufflepuff!" The hat called, and Tate clapped with the rest of her house.

"Hi Sophie!" She said when Sophie sat down opposite her. Tate watched as "Norim, Lorina" sat down at the Gryffindor table, and "Orworth, Nathaniel" joined the Hufflepuff table. Then, "Poppwell, Susan" was sorted into Hufflepuff, as well as two other boys. Tate got distracted by someone waving at her from across the hall. She looked around her table and the Gryffindor table to see if they were waving to someone else, and then looked back at the person. It was Aiden. She smiled, waved back, and then looked away. She craned her neck, looking down the Gryffindor table to find Mindy. Tate saw her sitting next to a girl with bright purple hair about halfway down the table. Tate waved at her, trying to get her attention, but discontinued her attempts when she heard "Wormsden, Jonah" being called up and sorted into Hufflepuff, joining the handful of other students sorted into Tate's house.

Tate jumped when she heard "Wood, Grace" called. Tate smiled at Grace as she walked up to the stool. The hat was only on Grace's head for a short time before it called out "HUFFLEPUFF!" Grace raced over to join Tate at the Hufflepuff table. Both girls watched as two more boys and a girl joined Hufflepuff and another boy joined Gryffindor. At last there was only one student left to be sorted. "Zander, Ramira" was called, and a tall girl with long turquoise hair stepped forward. The hat sat on her head for a while before shouting "HUFFLEPUFF!" The girl came and sat down, and the headmistress stood up.

"Welcome, students!" She called, "I know you are all silently cursing me for talking right now, so let the feast BEGIN!" The once empty golden plates were now piled high with food, and Tate filled her plate with roast potatoes and fish and chips.

After two servings of fish and a large helping of lemon custard, Tate was feeling quite full. The headmistress stood up, and the hall fell silent.

"Now, I would like to let all first years that the Forbidden Forest is, as its name says, forbidden. Also, to all students, certain Weasleys Wizard Wheezes products are banned from school grounds, as well as dung bombs. I do believe that you are all very tired, so you are excused. Prefects, please show the first years to the dormitories. Thank you." With that, the hall erupted in noise, and the scraping of benches on the floor made it hard to hear. The Hufflepuff prefect was calling the first years out of the hall, so Tate followed, finding herself walking next to the girl with turquoise hair.

"Hello." She said, and the girl looked over.

"Oh, hello!" The girl said cheerfully. "I'm Ramira. It's nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too." Smiled Tate. "I'm Tate. I love your hair. Did you dye it?"

"Oh, no." Said Ramira, " I'm a metamorphmagus, so I can…"

"Change your appearance at will." Tate cut in, "Cool."

"Yeah, do you know where the common room is?" Ramira asked.

"Not for sure, but I think it's in the basement hall by the kitchens." Tate answered. They had taken a left off of the hallway leading to the marble staircase, and walked down a smaller hallway and staircase lit by torches. Then they turned right, into a small dead-end hall with a pile of barrels at the end. The prefect took out their wand and tapped the top barrel twice. To their left, a wooden door with a gold badger knocker appeared in the wall.

"This way!" The prefect said, pushing open the door. They all filed into a narrow, brightly lit hallway that housed portraits of what Tate assumed were past heads-of-house. After a couple minutes walk, they came out in a very cozy and dimly lit circular room.

"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room!" Said the prefect, "If you go up the staircase to the loft area, you'll see two doors. The girls dorms are on the left, boys on your right. Good night." The prefect went up the staircase and into the girls dorms. Tate stayed downstairs in the common room, looking around.

Under the loft area there was a large circular fireplace, and above it hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. In front of the fireplace there was a sofa, and various armchairs and tables were scattered around the room. Tate went up the staircase and looked around the loft area. The walls were lined with bookshelves, but three little nooks were carved out of them, each with a domed ceiling, an armchair and small circular table, and yellow curtains that could cost them off. In the centre of the loft area was a large oak table with armchairs around it, and a few candles flickering on its surface.

Tate walked over to the door to the girls dorms, which was carved out of the bookshelves, and pushed it open, entering a small hallway dimly lit by torches, with a few deep-set arched windows. Wait, that doesn't make any sense, since we're under ground. Tate thought. She came to the first door on her left that bore a sign reading "First Years", and entered.

She came into another circular room, this time with four nooks housing beds, dressers, a small table, and an armchair. On two parts of the wall, there was each another circular fireplace with a dancing fire in it, warming up the room. Since all of the beds in the room were taken, Tate walked to a door opposite the one she had come from, entered a short hallway, and came out in another room identical to the one she had just left, but without the second door. She found Grace unpacking her trunk in the nook closest to the door, and Ramira reading in the nook one away from Grace. The last nook had yellow curtains covering the entrance. Tate walked to the nook in between Grace and Ramira, and found her trunk at the foot of her bed. She began unpacking, but only got halfway through before collapsing in bed and falling asleep.

Author's Note

Hi guys! Sorry that this last update took a while. I was having a hard time coming up with what to write. The next chapter might take me a few days, but I already have the general idea of it.

Happy Reading!

-AjaBadjer


	6. Chapter 6

_The Leaky Cauldron, London, 2003_

The Leaky Cauldron was a quiet place at eleven o'clock at night on May fifteenth, and only one man sat at the long, rough hewn table in the middle of the pub. The man had short, scraggly dark brown hair, and a small beard. He sat at the table, reading a book, the title of which could hardly be seen in the flickering of a small candle sitting beside the man. The was stirring his drink with only his finger, using wandless magic, a talent that for even the best of wizards was hard to master.

The man laughed at the book, a menacing laugh that sent shivers up the barman's spine. He peered closer at the title of the book, and could just make out Secrets of the Darkest Art on the cover. He walked over to the man, holding his breath, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir, but the pub is just about to close, and, er, I need to, erm, clean off the tables. Do you mind going up to your room?" He said, his hands shaking behind his back.

The man looked up, and scowled at the barman. He got up, and threw the book down on the table, making the barman jump. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at the barman, making a slashing movement in the air, and a purple streak of light streamed behind it. The barman crashed to the ground, unconscious or dead, the man did not care. He stepped over the body, bringing his book with him, and walked out of the pub, his patched robes swishing behind him.

 **Author's Note**

 **Hi guys, sorry about how short this chapter is. I wanted to set the scene for some other parts in the story. I might slip a couple more of these in here and there later on in the story, but I'm still thinking about it.**

 **Don't let the muggles get you down!**

 **-AjaBadger**


	7. Chapter 8

The next morning, Tate was woken up by the shuffling and whispering of other girls getting up and talking. She slipped out of bed and closed the yellow curtains to her nook. She pulled on a white blouse, grey cable-knit skirt, Hufflepuff tie, a black cardigan, grey knee-high socks, black shoes, and her school robes. She brushed her hair and then walked out of the nook. She saw Sophie and Ramira talking about an article from the Daily Prophet by the fireplace, and Grace leaning against the wall of her nook writing a letter. Tate sat down at one of the squishy armchairs in the centre of the room, and began writing a letter to her mom.

Dear Mum,

Sorry I didn't get to say a proper good bye to you yesterday. Grace dragged me off. School is going well so far, not that I've had any classes yet. I got sorted into Hufflepuff, just like great-grandma. Grace is in Hufflepuff too, and I met a really nice girl named Ramira. She's a metamorphmagus, and she has turquoise hair. And there's another girl named Sophie that's really nice. We all share a dorm. I love you!

Love,

Tate

She set down her quill and was walking out the dormitory dorm when Grace pulled on her arm.

"Tate, why don't you wait for us?" We can go down to the owlrey, and then to breakfast." Tate nodded and sat back down, waiting for Grace to finish her letter.

Once everyone was ready, they walked up to the owlrey. Tate tied her letter to the leg of a large eagle owl, and it flew off into the cloudy sky. The girls finished sending their letters, and they walked down to the great hall, chatting as they went.

"I'm half-blood, not that it matters." Said Ramira, "Dad's the wizard, Mum's muggle. What about you guys?"

"Pureblood, Tate and me both." Grace answered for Tate. "My uncle's Oliver Wood. Dad and him were brothers, Dad was older." She said.

"I'm muggle." Said Sophie, looking down at her shoes.

"Oh, cool!" Tate said, "Welcome to the wizarding world! Just know that everything here can get bad every, well, thirteen years, so we're coming right up to the next evil wizard! Yay!" She said in a falsely cheery voice.

"Okay, well that is certainly a different introduction than what I had in mind. I was thinking ' Hi, this is the magic world with rainbows and sparkles and unicorns and mermaids!' Not 'Oh, everything gets bad every thirteen years! Yay!'"

The girls all started laughing at this, almost falling down the staircase they were walking down. They reached the hall and sat down at the hufflepuff table, loading their plates with bacon, eggs, and toast. A tall man with black hair and a slight limp was walking around the hall handing out schedules. He came to the Hufflepuff table and walked over to the girls.

"Hello, first years right?" He said, "I'm Professor Longbottom, I teach Herbology and head Hufflepuff, just like Professor Sprout. I always thought I'd be in Hufflepuff, no idea how I ended up Gryffindor." He shook his head, " Anyway, you'll need your schedules. Here you go." He tapped four pieces of parchment with his wand and handed them to the girls. " if you get lost, just ask the portraits or ghosts and they'll help you." Smiling at Sophie's look of terror at the mention of ghosts, "Don't worry, they aren't like Muggle ghosts." He smiled again and then walked off.

The girls quickly abandoned their plates to compare schedules.

"Well, since we're all in Hufflepuff, I'd assume that we would have the same classes. Mum said that houses have their classes together. Ugh."

"Well, my schedule said that Monday and Thursday and every other Friday we have Herbology, then potions, then free,lunch, charms, then free again." Said Ramira.

"Oh, I have arithmancy instead of another free." Tate said

"What about Tuesday? I'm having a hard time reading the schedule." Sophie said.

"Oh, do you need glasses?" Asked Grace.

"No, I have dyslexia." Answered Sophie, her cheeks reddening.

"Huh, is that some kind of disease?" Asked Grace again, which earned her a hard kick in the shins from Tate.

"No, it means the letters float off of the page." Sophie said.

"Well, anyway, I think it's Defence Against The Dark Arts, then Care Of Magical Creatures, then Transfiguration. Lunch, free, another free, History of Magic. And Astronomy. At midnight. Wonderful." Grace said in one breath.

"That was fast." Said Sophie, "So, who do we have each class with?" She asked, looking around the hall.

"Potions with Gryffindor, Herbology with Slytherin, charms with Gryffindor, D.A with Ravenclaw, Care Of Magical Creatures with Slytherin, Transfiguration with Ravenclaw, History of Magic with Gryffindor, and Astronomy with second year Slytherin? Hm, wonder why?" Tate read off her schedule "Hey, we can use our first free period to do homework, and then the second to relax. We can work on essays together if you guys want."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. I fail at essays." Ramira said.

"Same here. And I procrastinate. You guys can do my homework for me!" Sophie joked.

"HEY, AIDEN!" Grace yelled across the hall at her brother, who was sitting laughing at the Slytherin table with his friends. He got up and ran over to the Hufflepuff table.

"No running, young man!" A professor shouted at him.

"Hi little sis, need help?" He asked, sitting down at the bench between Tate and Grace. He smiled at his sister, and then at Tate.

"Do you have any idea why the second year Slytherins are with the first year Hufflepuffs for astronomy?" Grace demanded.

"Well," said Aiden, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "it's either because we're still as dumb as you, which I doubt, you're as smart as us, which I seriously doubt, no offence, or it's because something happened last year that made doing Astronomy lessons and exams impossible." He said.

"Ugh. I don't want to be in a class with you." Grace moaned, pushing him away. "Good Bye!"

"Your attention, please students!" The headmistress called, and Aiden ran back to his table.

"No running, young man!" the professor shouted at him.

"I have a short announcement for you all." The headmistress continued, "This year, Hogwarts has the honour of hosting the Triwizard Tournament. Also, first years are permitted to try out for house teams. The Hogwarts captain or coach will be allowed to scout out the team during each house practice. Thank you for your attention. The time of house tryouts will be posted on each notice board."

"Come on guys, let's go to our classes." Tate said after the headmistress sat down. They all got up and walked out of the great hall towards the entrance to the school, and out into the dewy grounds.

AUTHORS NOTE

Hi guys, sorry for the delay on this last chapter. As I said in my last authors note, this chapter took a long time to write. Thank you to all my readers, and to J.K Rowling for the amazing Harry Potter series, and my childhood. Anyway, I'm working on the next chapter and it will hopefully be out soon. If anyone has any ideas for other stories, they can review and mention them. I'm looking for new story ideas.

Again, thank you for reading,

AjaBadjer


	8. Chapter 9

"Welcome to Herbology!" Said Professor Longbottom as the girls walked into the class. "Please pair up and find yourselves a tray." Grace and Ramira paired up, so Sophie and Tate walked over to a tray together.

"I will assume that you all brought your dragon skin gloves, but if not, I have a few extra pairs in the back. Please put your gloves on." Tate pulled her gloves on and looked at the tray in front of her. On it was a small cactus-like plant that was pulsating slightly.

"Now, today we will be working with one of my favourite plants. These are Mimbulus Mimbletonia. These ones are in the beginning stages of growth, as they have not yet developed pustules. We will be feeding them and changing the mulch today." He said, stroking one of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia lovingly, it was making crooning noises. "I think it's up to you and your partner on how to split up the work, and if you need any help feel free to ask."

"So, do you want to do the mulch? I don't like dirt. One time I fell in the mud and almost suffocated myself." Said Sophie, warily looking at the pot, "And I don't much like plants."

"I'll do the mulch. How did you suffocate? It sounds freaky."

" Oh, I was five, and I started kindergarten at a really lame school, and there was"

"Wait, what's 'kinder-whatever'? I've never heard of it." Tate cut in, pouring mulch into the pot and mixing it in, getting dirt all up her arms.

"Oh, so in the Muggle world, we start school at age five, and that's called kindergarten. Then, we have grade levels, kind of like each year here, except you go home every day. Anyway, the school that I went to was really lame, and there were a ton of bullies. I've always been on the small side, and so kids picked on me for it. There was one girl, Anne, who always picked on me. One day she ripped up one of my drawings, and I accidentally turned her hair bright orange, and she got really mad."

"Was that the magic? Because I've heard about people who can't control their magic when they're young, and it comes out when their emotions are strong."

"I guess so, but I don't know for sure. So, at recess it was raining and we had a field that was full of mud in winter, and Anne pushed my head into the mud and wouldn't let me out." Sophie finished, paling at the memory.

"I'm so sorry, that's terrible. I would have hated that." Tate said, "So, how did you get your Hogwarts letter? I've always wondered how that worked for muggles. Did it come in the post?"

"Oh, no. An owl still dropped it off in our mailbox on my birthday. My parents were really surprised, and I had no idea what was going on. The letter from Professor Wells was very nice, because she was a muggle. She had to take me and Mum and Dad to Diagonal Alley personally"

"Oh, is she nice. My Mum and Dad had Dumbledore, and they said he was brilliant, but I haven't heard much about other heads."

"She was polite, but a bit stern."

"Focus, , !" Professor Longbottom called from helping a Slytherin girl with feeding her Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

"Do you think you'll want to try out for the Quidditch team? I definitely will, I love quidditch." Tate whispered.

"Um, well, I don't really know how to fly, and I'm not sure what quidditch is." Sophie whispered back.

"Well, I can explain. You play quidditch on broomsticks, and there are different models of broomsticks. The best right now is the Firebolt Flash, it's made by the Firebolt company. So, you fly around in the broomsticks and try to throw the Quaffle, which is basically a ball charmed to fly, into three hoops to score. The people who score are the Chasers, and the person who guards the hoops is the Keeper."

"So, like Football." Sophie said.

"I don't know what Football is, but I guess so. Anyway, two players called Beaters try to hit two other balls called Bludgers at people, and the last player is called the Seeker, and they try to find the Golden Snitch, which is a tiny golden ball that flies around and tries not to get caught. When the seeker catches the Snitch, they get 150 points for their team, and each goal is worth ten points. When the Seeker gets the snitch, the game ends." Tate finished, proud of her explanation.

"So not my type of sport. I'm afraid of heights." Sophie said, pouring the food into the pot.

" I love it, my favourite team is the Hollyhead Harpies, they're an all-women team, and they're top of the league." Tate said, as the bell rang for the end of class.

"Alright class, have a good day!" Professor Longbottom said. Tate and Sophie walked out of the door and out into the grounds, which were now dried by sun.

"Should we wait for Ramira and Grace?" Sophie asked, looking over her shoulder for her friends.

"No, it's fine. They probably left already."

The girls walked into the castle and down a side staircase toward the dungeon level.

"So, have you ever gone to school before this?" Sophie wondered, looking at the portraits on the stone walls and waving at them.

"No, so I'm really nervous." Tate replied, also looking at the portraits. Suddenly, she felt her foot slip, and she looked down. Her foot had slipped through a step, which had turned invisible. "Sophie, a little help!" She yelled, and Sophie turned around, already halfway down the hall.

"TATE! Are you okay? How? This school is going to kill someone!" She yelled, running up the hall.

"I'm fine, and I bet it HAS killed someone. Mum said something about a ghost in the second floor girls bathroom. Do you want to go see it?" Tate asked after being pulled out of the step.

"Um, no thanks. I heard other kids talking about her. Moaning Myrtle? I don't like ghosts, and we still have potions." Sophie said.

"Ugh, fine. But promise me you'll come after."

"Promise. Now come on, we're almost late!" Tate and Sophie ran down the hall bumping into walls and infuriating portraits.

"Slow down ladies!" An elderly witch yelled at them, running through the paintings.

"Sorry, ma'am!" Sophie yelled, "But we don't want to be late for class!" They continued running until, out of breath, they reached the first years waiting outside a classroom.

"Where in Merlin's name have you been?" Grace asked, running to them with Ramira following her.

"Tate got stuck in a staircase." Sophie mentioned casually.

"What?!"

"Later!" Tate whispered, for the door had just opened, and the short professor that had led the boats came out from the cheerily lit classroom.

"Come in, class!" Said the professor, ushering them into the classroom. "Take a seat, please. I am Professor Willfeather, your potions instructor. Please split up into pairs, as the potion we will be brewing will need two people." Tate and Ramira sat down together at a table which had a benson burner and a cauldron sitting on it.

"Now, class. Please open up to page 340 in your books, you will find the directions for brewing the Bulbatrous potion, which at the end of class we will be testing on Dumbo Rats." Said the professor, sitting down at his large mahogany desk in the front of the room. Tate pulled out her potions book, Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, and turned to page 340. The potion was very complex for first years, Tate thought as she got out the fermented beetle eyes and Newt tails that would be added in step ten of the potion.

"If you want, I can add the ingredients of the potion and you can cut things up. I've tried brewing a few potions at home and I'm quite good." Ramira said in a voice that sounded rather stuck-up to Tate.

"I was thinking we could split the adding and preparing." Tate suggested, while Ramira made a little Hmph noise. "But you can do the adding first." She said hastily. This is strange. Tate thought as she cut up a Cankle Pod, Ramira is usually so nice.

"Tate! Tate! Hello, can you hear me? I need the Cankle Pod, the book says to add it after stirring the Samph juice for two mintutes." Ramira whispered, waving her hand in Tate's face.

"What? Oh, sorry! Yeah, here you go." Tate said, throwing the Cankle Pod in the potion, which promptly started emitting black sparks and boiling over. "Oh, whoops! Is that supposed to happen?" She asked while Ramira glared at her.

" No, that isn't supposed to happen. You add the Cankle Pod one bit at a time and stir it two times in between each bit. So now we get a zero on our first lesson." Ramira whispered through clenched teeth. The cauldron exploded.

"Oh, ladies. I believe you added the Cankle Pod all at once, correct? Well, I'm sorry, but I'll have to take ten points each from Hufflepuff house, and a detention each tonight." Said Professor Willfeather, and Tate sank down in her chair, looking at the ground.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi guys! Sorry about the wait for this chapter. I got going on the Herbology chapter, and I had tons of ideas, but the potions chapter was a bit harder for me. Feel free to review! If you want, you can include the answer to these three questions in your review:**

 **1\. What house do you think you would be sorted into if you went\go to Hogwarts.**

 **2\. What do you think Professor Willfeather will give Tate and Ramira for detention?**

 **3\. What do you think Tate's best class will be?**

 **For this next chapter, I will probbably update either today, tomorrow, or soon this week, but not on Thursday, Friday, or the weekend, since I will be out of town. Thank you for reading!**

 **-AjaBadjer**


	9. Chapter 10

"Guys, we should go outside. It looks nice and we could use the fresh air." Sophie said, gazing out the window in her nook at the sunny grounds, where people were swimming in the black lake and generally goofing around.

"I'll come!" Grace practically yelled, jumping up from sitting on a brown armchair and staring at the rug.

"I guess I'll come, you're right, I need some fresh air." Tate mumbled unhappily, she was still frustrated at getting a detention on her first day.

"I'll stay here." Ramira huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at Tate.

"Ramira, are you sure you're okay? I think you could use some fresh air." Sophie asked concernedly, looking at Ramira warily.

"I'm fine. Go! You guys obviously want to get out!" Ramira glared at all of them, and they took it as a signal that they weren't wanted.

The girls walked out onto the sunny grounds and found a place to sit by the lake that was concealed by some bushes and a low weeping willow. They all took off their cardigans and ties and hung them on the branches, and put their socks and shoes by the edge of the lake.

"I wonder why Ramira is so stressed out." Sophie sighed as she dipped her feet in the cool water. "She seemed fine this morning."

"Yeah. She was like this in Herbology." Grace said, standing in the lake and gazing at the other side. "Anyone fancy a swim?"

"Uh, Grace? Do you realise how many other people there are out here?" Sophie asked blushing.

"Oh. That sounded weird. Of course we would swim with our clothes on."

"Sure!" Tate said, finally smiling. She loved swimming but hadn't had many chances since she moved to Hogsmead. Before that she and her family had lived in a small Muggle village that had a community pool and park. She got up from where she had been sitting, leaning against the trunk of the weeping willow. She waded out to where Grace was and looked back at the shore.

"Come on Sophie! It's really nice in here! The water isn't freezing. Kind of. But it's still nice!" She called, and Sophie tentatively looked at the water.

"Well, I guess." Sophie said, getting up and wading out to her and Grace.

"Okay, so you guys can swim however far you want to, but I'm going to swim to the other side." Grace said, pointing to the opposite shore.

"Wow. That is really far. Please don't drown. I would cry if you drowned. And you don't want to see me cry." Sophie said.

"Okay. Anyway, you ready?"

"I guess."

"Okay! Bye!" Grace said, and she fell face first into the water. She resurfaced a few seconds later. "Oh my God! It's freezing!" She yelled while treading water.

"Okay! Watch out!" Tate yelled, ad she sat down and pushed off a rock, shooting through the water. It really was freezing. All of her limbs froze in place. Then she resurfaced. Sophie was still at the edge, looking into the clear water.

"Come on Sophie! It isn't too bad!" Grace yelled, a few feet in front of Tate.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Sophie yelled, and she flopped down into the water. She was swimming closer and closer to Tate, but then her head disappeared.

"SOPHIE!" Tate screamed, trying to tread water but choking. She saw little bubbles surfacing, moving rapidly towards the middle of the lake, the deepest part. "We have to get her!" Tate yelled at Grace while swimming after the bubbles, but Grace was frozen in shock. "Fine, if you aren't going to do anything I'll go down for her! Just STAY HERE!" She took a deep breath and dove in. The water was even colder in the middle of the lake, and it was almost pitch black. She could just make out the form of a body struggling and being pulled deeper into the murky water. She followed Sophie, and saw that there was something wrapped around her leg. Oh God, not the Giant Squid. She thought. She swam deeper, her lungs and eyes burning and her ears popping from the pressure. I need to do something! I never should have told Sophie to come with us! What should I do? Her brain was working overtime, thinking of things she could do to save Sophie. I could try to stupefy the squid, Mindy showed me how once. But would Sophie float up? Is she unconscious? I need to get closer! She thought, following from a few feet behind. She kicked faster than she had ever before, but it wasn't fast enough. Her lungs screamed and her brain was becoming more sluggish from the lack of oxygen. She kicked one last time so that she was right behind Sophie, and pointed her wand at the squid. STUPEFY! She screamed in her mind, and a red jet of light shot out from the tip of her wand, illuminating the lake with an eerie red glow. She looked around, panicked, and saw freakish faces staring out from the forests of kelp. Sophie suddenly began dropping, and Tate kicked forward to catch her. It was amazing how light a limp body was if you were under water. She kicked up, using her last strength, and finally her head broke the surface of the water. She took a huge breath of clear, cold air, and then dove back down to keep Sophie out of the water. She pushed her to the nearest shore and dragged her out of the water onto the grass.

"GRACE! GRACE! GO GET A TEACHER! WE NEED A TEACHER!" Tate yelled, looking at Sophie's pale face, strands of short red hair tangled around it. No, not Sophie. She can't be dead. Stop panicking. Check for a pulse. Turn her onto her side. She told herself, trying to stay calm. She knelt down next to Sophie and put her finger ip to her neck, checking for a pulse. She was alive. Tate turned her on her side and began slapping her back. What do I do? I need Grace, I need a teacher. Maybe I can ask another student. She thought, looking around. She didn't dare leave Sophie alone, lest something happened to her, but she yelled "HELP! I need help! My friend is unconscious!" And an older boy and two girls came rushing over.

"What happened?" One of the girls asked, running over and sitting down next to Tate.

"We were swimming and the giant squid pulled her under. We were down there for a minute, if not more." She answered, trying not to cry, reality finally hitting her.

"Okay. Maya, can you come over here? Your mum is a healer right? Can you help?" The girl asked her other friend who was chatting with the boy a few steps away.

"Sure." The other girl said, coming over also. She sat down opposite of Tate and the first girl, and looked at Sophie. "She probably needs to be taken to the hospital wing. My Mum hasn't taught me a ton, but I can do broken bones. This is a bit too much." She said, looking at Tate with pity. "It seems strange though, the Giant Squid is usually so calm."

"Excuse me, girls! I need to see her!" Said a professor, running up to the girls surrounding Sophie, Grace panting behind her. "Oh, dear. She'll need to spend a few nights in the Hospital Wing. Why don't you girls come with me, and we'll find her a bed." The older lady said. She was rather plump, with a kind complexion and curly white blond hair and glasses balancing on her nose. She took out her wand and waved it, conjuring a stretcher which she levitated Sophie onto. "Well, for helping her, I think twenty points to Ravenclaw a piece, is it? And fifty points to Hufflepuff for you, dear. I'm suspecting you're the one who saved her, you are sopping wet. Oh, and twenty points for fetching me, Miss. Wood. Come along now!" The older lady said, levitating the stretcher in front of her and making her way back up to the castle.

The Hospital Wing was just like 's was, but much smaller. It had a row of neat beds on each wall, none of which were occupied. There were large gothic arched windows punctuating the stone walls, and the ceiling was gothic arched as well. At the end of the hall, for it was as big as a cathedral, was a door that led to an office, with Madame Merryweather printed on it in gold letters. The older witch levitated Sophie onto one of the beds nearest to the office, and tucked her in.

"I believe classes are about to start, so you two girls should probably get going." Madame Merryweather said as she walked to her office. Tate and Grace obeyed, and they walked out into the hall. Once they were out of the Hospital Wing, Tate have Grace a huge bear hug.

"Thank you for getting Madame Merryweather! I was so worried!" She said, finally tearing up for no apparent reason.

"Yeah, but you actually saved Sophie. I did nothing." Said Grace, somehow escaping Tate's arms. "Come on, we need to get our stuff, and I wouldn't mind changing." With that, the two dripping wet girls walked off to their dorms.

Tate and Grace ran through the halls, their sopping wet clothes leaving drops of water behind them.

"HEY! TATE, GRACE!" Someone yelled from the crowd of students pouring in from the grounds. Tate and Grace stopped, looking for the voice. A familiar second year emerged from the crowd and snuck up behind Grace, poking her in the back.

"Ugh. Not you." Grace moaned, spinning around to see her brother Aiden.

"Hey, why so mopey?" He asked, staring at her and Tate's dripping clothes. "Um, why are you soaking wet?" He asked.

"Well, we um, went for a swim?" Tate said, staring at the puddle she was now standing in.

"Well, you may want to change before lessons." Aiden said, also eying the slowly growing puddle.

"I. Noticed." Grace managed through clenched teeth, her fists balling up and staring daggers at her brother.

"Geez, calm down! I'm leaving, okay? Bye!" He waved to Tate and disappeared in the crowd.

"I. Hate. Him." Grace said, pushing her way through the crowd.

"Why?" Tate asked, curios. Grace was silent for a moment, then said in a calmer voice

"He likes you."

"That's beside the point."

"Still, he likes you."

"How can you tell?"

"I'm his sister."

"Is that why you hate him?"

"No. Just tell me you don't like him."

"I don't."

"Good."

"But why?"

"You're cute."

"No, I'm not."

"You're smart." Grace continued, not paying attention to Tate.

"Did you see me blow up the cauldron?"

"You're my best friend."

"That makes no sense."

"Whatever. Still, please don't ever like him. He's so annoying."

"I promise I won't."

"Okay."

They had reached the hall with the barrels, so Tate took out her wand and tapped the top barrel twice. She was surprised her wand wasn't broken from water damage. Grace pushed the door that appeared open, and they walked down the small corridor to the common room, which was deserted, and raced up the staircase to the loft area and then to the girls dorms. Tate raced through the first year dorm and then ran into the dorm she shared with Grace, Sophie, and was empty, which meant that Ramira had gone somewhere else. Good. Tate thought to herself, she was not in the mood to get yelled at.

She ran into her nook and pulled the curtains shut quickly, drying and braiding her hair and then drying off and changing into a pair of jeans and a white super fuzzy sweater and a spare pair of robes. She grabbed her stuff from her chair, and then ran out of the dorm, yelling "See you in charms!" Over her shoulder to Grace.

Tate raced through the halls at top speed, portraits yelling at her constantly. She lost her way twice and had to backtrack, which became very infuriating. She finally reached the classroom, panting and with a stitch in her side, and was astonished to see that she wasn't completely late. She took a seat in the second row of benches, which lined the walls in tiers, like some cathedrals in London. She took out her charms book, wand, quill, ink, and parchment and looked around the classroom.


	10. Chapter 11

"Welcome to Charms class!" Said the professor, standing at his desk at the front of the room. He wore maroon robes that clashed horribly with his curly red hair and horn rimmed glasses. "As some of you may already know, I am Professor Weasley and I am the head of Gryffindor house." He said in a pompous tone. "Now, before we begin, the headmistress has asked me to inform you about quidditch tryouts and teams. Each house has a team, and contrary to previous practices, first years are allowed to try out for house teams." At this there was a cry of joy from across the room from a Hufflepuff boy. "Ahem. As I was saying, first years will be allowed to try out for house teams. Of course, you must possess a broom to be on the team, seeing as we no longer have school brooms. Now, let us begin our lesson." Professor Weasley continued. A Gryffindor girl raised her hand.

"Sir, what if we don't know how to fly?" She asked.

"Oh, yes. Thank you. Ms.?"

"Overlin, sir."

"Yes, thank you Ms. Overlin. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff flying lessons will be on every Thursday of the next month during this class. As I was saying before, we will start learning the movement for the spell that can make things fly, or levitate them. If you would kindly repeat after me. Swish and flick!" He said, waving his wand in a downward swish and flick movement. Tate repeated the movement with her own wand, just as the doors clattered open. Grace ran in panting with a red face, and sat next to Tate.

"Where have you been?" Tate whispered as she repeated the movement another time.

"Getting lost in the hall and attacked by Peeves." Grace answered, opening her book bag and taking out her wand. "He kept following me through the halls and pelting paper wads at my back. I tried to jinx him with a spell Mum taught me, but it didn't work." She said, watching Tate and repeating the movement that she was doing. "So, anything interesting happen?"

"Well, the professor's name is Professor Weasley, I think he might be Ron Weasley's older brother. And he said that first years are allowed to try out for house teams, and we have flying lessons on every Thursday of this month. I think that's it." Tate answered. She continued doing the movement and watched as the Professor walking around the room correcting the student's mistakes. He eventually came around to Tate and Grace, watching their wand movements.

"Miss, erm" He said to Grace

"Oh, Wood."

"Yes, Miss. Wood. Remember, it is a swish and flick movement. You use your wrist more." He said in a kind but firm voice. "Very nice, Miss."

"King." Tate said.

"Very nice Miss. King. I think I might want to move you on to practicing the incantation. It is wingardium leviosa, with the emphasis on the ar and o. Try it."

"Wingardium leviosa!" Tate said, with a bit to much enthusiasm.

"Very good! Practice that and once you think you have it I will give you a feather to practice on." Professor Weasley beamed and walked away. Tate practiced the incantation while Grace looked at her with envy.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, it was getting a bit annoying to have Grace string at her all the time.

"You're so good. Why didn't you tell me?" Grace asked.

"I, well, I didn't know. I haven't tried charms before, and I bet other people are better than me." She said, defending herself, for what reason she didn't know.

"No. You're the only one that has started the incantation." Grace said, looking around the room.

"Well. I think I have it, so I'll go and get a feather. You can try. I'll help you." She marched up to the desk at the front of the room and cleared her throat.

"Ah, Miss. King. You need a feather, I presume?" Professor Weasley asked.

"Yes, sir." She said, and Professor Weasley ducked down behind the desk and took out a box similar to the box that her wand had come in. He opened it and handed her a brown feather that looked like it had come from a large eagle. She took it and walked back to her desk. She sat down and pointed her wand at the feather.

"Wingardium leviosa!" She said, waving her wand in the swish and flick motion. Nothing happened. She tried again, and still nothing happened. After ten tries, Professor Weasley stood up at the front desk.

"Alright class, please pack up your books and put away your materials. Class dismissed." Tate ran up to the desk and deposited her feather, and then ran out of the door looking for Grace.


	11. Chapter 13

Tate sat in the Hufflepuff common room by the circular fireplace in a squishy yellow armchair. Her second day of lessons had flown by, and she still hadn't seen Ramira. Transfiguration had been an interesting lesson, where she and Grace and Sophie, who had been released from the hospital wing that morning, had had to try and turn a needle into a pine needle. Care of Magical Creatures had been surprisingly uneventful, as had Defence Against The Dark Arts. Ramira had been missing from all of the lessons. Tate got up and walked up the staircase and went into the girls dormitory hall.

"Has anyone seen Ramira lately?" She asked when she got to the dorm she, Grace, Sophie, and Ramira shared. Grace was sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room and Sophie was reading a book that she called a "comic book".

"No." Grace answered. "She might have gone out to the grounds. You can check there."

"Aren't you going to help?" Tate asked.

"Sure." Grace said getting up from the sofa. They walked down the staircase and thought the common room and all of the halls. They finally reached the entrance and pushed open the great oak doors.

Tate ran around the grounds, craning her neck to try and find a bright turquoise head. Occasionally she would ask if anyone had seen a girl with bright turquoise hair anywhere, but the answer was always no. Finally she came to a pair of girls sitting on the ground near the forbidden forest.

"Um, hi. Has either of you seen a girl with bright turquoise hair over here? She is probably your age. First year." Tate said without much hope. The sun was starting to set.

"Oh, yeah. I think I saw her leaning against a tree. I looked down and then she had disappeared. Don't know what happened."

"Thank you so much! I've been looking for her for ages. I'm Tate King by the way, Hufflepuff."

"Oh. I'm Emma Tiber. Slytherin." Said the girl who had answered Tate.

"I'm Jayda Taylor. Slytherin, also." Said the blonde girl who was the other girl's, Emma's, friend.

"Well, thank you so much. Nice to meet you. I should be going, I need to tell my friend. She's searching too." Tate said, running back down the slight hill that led to the forbidden forest. She finally found Grace sitting by the lake where they had been that morning with her head in her hands. "Grace? I, um, talked to a couple of girls who were sitting by the Forbidden Forest, and they said they saw Ramira leaning against a tree. But they looked down, and then looked back up and she was gone. And have you seen Sophie?"

"Yeah, she stopped by to say that she had looked everywhere and had asked a few people like you had, but found nothing. I also found nothing." Grace said, her face crestfallen and shadowy in the golden sunset. "Do you think Ramira could have gone into the Forest?"

"I don't know, but I think we should find Sophie, I don't want to lose another person." Tate said beginning to walk away.

"Wait! Do you think we should tell a teacher that Ramira is missing and she might have gone into the Forbidden Forest?" Grace asked, getting up and running after Tate.

"Yeah. I hadn't thought of that. But shouldn't we go find Sophie first? And who would we ask?" Tate said, already scanning the grounds for Sophie in the growing shadows.

"Oh! There she is. SOPHIE!" Grace yelled, frightening some birds off the lake. Sophie came running over, coming to a stop next to the other two girls.

"So, you didn't find her either. I wonder where she is." Sophie said.

"We think she might have gone into the forbidden forest. I was thinking we should probably tell a teacher rather than go into the forest when it's becoming dark." Grace said, as she started to walk towards the castle. "And I'm starting to get hungry."

"Same." Tate said, her stomach growling.

"Seriously guys? What's more important? Your friends, or your food?" Sophie asked incredulously.

"Friends, obviously. And I was thinking that we could talk to Professor Weasley. He seems nice." Tate said.

"Yeah, sure." Grace said, and they set off towards Professor Weasley's classroom.

They reached the charms classroom when the sun had finally set and the torches cast a warm flickering glow in the stone hallways. Tate stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door. She heard a rustling, as if multiple people were in the room, and the door creaked open. The head of and older lady who still had flaming red hair but streaks of grey poked out from behind the door, and her warm eyes behind spectacles searched around for a moment before finding Tate and her friends.

"Oh, hello dear? Who are you?" She asked with a kind grandmotherly voice that reminded Tate of her own grandmother.

"Oh, I'm Tate King, my friends and I need to see Professor Weasley." Tate said.

"Oh, in that case do come in, dear." Said the lady, and she opened the door to reveal the warmly lit classroom.

A whole group of redheads and a few people with other coloured hair were sitting in a group in the middle of the room, either on the floor or on chintz armchairs. One balding man was dozing in his armchair, and three younger people were conversing merrily together. All of the conversations stopped, however, when Tate, Grace, and Sophie entered the room.

"Ah! Miss. King, Miss. Wood, and who are you?" Professor Weasley said, coming over to them.

"Sophie Grey, I missed your first class." Said Sophie.

"Well, hello. Why are you three here?" He asked.

"Well, our friend has been missing for a day, and we think she might have gone into the Forbidden Forest, but we're not sure." Grace said.

"Well, I'll send Professor Wells a note, and she'll sort it out." Professor Weasley said, and Tate was surprised at how calm he was. "In the meantime, I think it would be polite for me to introduce you to these people. This is my mother, Mrs. Weasley." He gestured to the older lady that had let them into the room, and she smiled kindly at the girls, "My father is the man sleeping in the chair, my brother George, who owns Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Bill, the man with the scars, Fleur, Ron, who's sitting over there with his wife Hermione and not paying attention to a single word I'm saying," this got a few laughs, "my sister Ginny, and her husband Harry, who I'm sure you've heard all about." He finished. Tate and Grace nodded their heads, but Sophie just looked confused.

"So, um, it's nice to meet you all!" Grace said, beaming at everyone.

"Yes, but I think we should go, we need to get dinner and I think we've interrupted your gathering. Thank you for helping us, Professor." Sophie said.

"You're welcome." Professor Weasley opened the door for them, and they exited the room.

"Guys, we just met Harry Potter!" Grace squealed as they made their way to the great hall for dinner.

"Um, don't mean to be rude, but who is he?" Sophie asked, she was obviously still confused.

"Well, he's like, kind of the most famous wizard ever. He defeated Lord Voldemort"

"Really? Don't say the name!" Tate said, she hated that name.

"Fine. He defeated He-Who-Could-Not-Be-Named, and he's the only person to have survived all three Unforgivable Curses"

"Which are?"

"The Killing Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Imperius Curse. Anyway, he survived them and saved the world. So he's kind of really famous." Grace finished.

"Oh, I see." Sophie said as she sat down on one of the benches at the Hufflepuff table in the almost empty Great Hall. All three girls piled their plates high and began stuffing their mouths with mashed potatoes and grilled chicken.

"I hopf Wamiwa'th okay." Grace said through a full mouth of chicken as she looked up at the enchanted ceiling. Tate hadn't noticed before, but it was pouring rain. She looked out the huge window behind the teachers table, and could just make out heavy sheets of rain drenching the inky black sky. She found that she had lost her appetite.

"Guys, I'm not feeling to good, so I'm going to head back to the common room." She said as she got up from the table.

"Okay, I'll come with you." Sophie said, getting up as well. The pair of them walked out of the hall together and took the route to the common room in silence. Both knew what each other was thinking about. Where was Ramira? What had happened? Why had she disappeared? The girls reached their dorms and went to their respective nooks, silently agreeing to sleep on the questions


	12. Chapter 14

She was walking through a dark forest making no sound. There was no light, the forest was so thick that not even moonlight could reach between the eaves and branches of the great trees. Dry leaves littered the ground around Tate, and splinters of wood pierced her feet. She came to a clearing where small shafts of light could peek through the thinning branches. Ahead of her a dark mass loomed, and small pinpricks of yellow light came through planks of rough wood. The moonlight shifted and she could just make out a door in the dark mass. She stepped towards the house, but this time her footsteps crunched in the dried leaves. She had the strangest yearning to walk up to the house and open the door, but her brain told her not to. Suddenly, a gut piercing howl shattered the eerie silence of the forest, and Tate experienced a terrible pain. Her eyes flashed open and she sat bolt upright in her bed. It had just been a dream. She stared out the window in her nook and thought I hope Ramira is okay. She laid back down, stroking the fur of Poppy, who was somehow still sleepin on her chest. She stared at the painted domed ceiling of her nook and got lost in the face of the woman that was placating a unicorn.


	13. Chapter 15

The third day of Tate's lessons dawned bright and cold, and the dew from last night had turned to frost. Tate woke to hear her friends conversing by the fire and got up to join them.

"So, have you guys heard anything about Ramira?" Tate asked as she sat down at one of the squishy yellow armchair by the sofa.

"Actually, yes. I was walking back from dinner and Professor Wells stopped me. Apparently she had searched for Ramira personally and she found her in the forest. They put her in the hospital wing, but she should be fine." Grace whispered. "They aren't really sure what happened to her. She was in a sort of daze when they found her."

"Well, in that case I think we should get ready for lessons and go see her. I owe her an apology." Tate said and she got up to get ready. She pulled on a white shirt and her grey cable knit skirt, socks, tie, and her robes. She quickly put her hair in a French braid and walked out of her nook, petting Poppy as she went. The cat kept her company while she was sleeping, and last night had been hard with multiple nightmares.

After eating their breakfast in the great hall, the girls walked to the hospital wing. In Tate's opinion, they already visited it too many times, seeing as it was only the third day of school. When they entered the hall, Madame Merryweather bustled over to them.

"Hello girls. Miss. Zander is in the bed closest to my friends office, I believe she is sleeping now, she had to take quite a few potions last night." She said, gesturing to said bed.

"Madame Merryweather, we were wondering wether you know where they found her." Sophie asked.

"I'm very sorry dear, but I do not. They just brought her in to me and didn't say a word. She does have some nasty scratches though." Madame Merryweather answered, looking at Ramira with a worried look on her face. "Well, I'll leave you three alone."

"Ramira, are you okay?" Tate whispered, for she could tell that Ramira was fake sleeping. Her eyes slowly opened, and a smile cracked her pale face.

"I'm fine." She said, her voice scratchy and lower than usual. " I think I just fell asleep and started sleep walking. And don't worry about the scratches, they're just from the trees." Seeing Sophie staring at the deep scratches.

"Look, Ramira, I'm really sorry about messing up our potion. I didn't know it meant that much to you." Tate said. But the truth was, Ramira had over reacted.

"No, it's fine. I think I was a little to harsh. I've been really nervous about coming to Hogwarts." Ramira said. As she talked, the scratches on her face opened up again and began to bleed.

"Ramira, are you sure those scratches are from trees? They look pretty serious." Grace asked, glancing at the blood that was trickling down Ramira's face.

"Yes, of course what else would they be from?" Ramira answered in an offensive manner. It seemed to Tate as if she was hiding something, but she decided not to press.

"Guys, I think it's time for lessons to start! We need to go!" Sophie exclaimed. The girls got up, said a quick goodbye, and ran out of the hospital wing. The day flew by, and potions, again, was a disaster. This time, Tate had been paired with Vivienne, a Ravenclaw girl. Instead of blowing up like las time, the potion turned a poisonous green rather than the ruby red that it was supposed to. Tate had successfully levitated her feather, and she had moved on to levitating books, with much praise from Professor Weasley.

The sky darkened quickly, and Tate settled down for the night, exhausted from the day's events. Tomorrow was finally a weekend.


	14. Chapter 16

The third day of Tate's lessons dawned bright and cold, and the dew from last night had turned to frost. Tate woke to hear her friends conversing by the fire and got up to join them.

"So, have you guys heard anything about Ramira?" Tate asked as she sat down at one of the squishy yellow armchair by the sofa.

"Actually, yes. I was walking back from dinner and Professor Wells stopped me. Apparently she had searched for Ramira personally and she found her in the forest. They put her in the hospital wing, but she should be fine." Grace whispered. "They aren't really sure what happened to her. She was in a sort of daze when they found her."

"Well, in that case I think we should get ready for lessons and go see her. I owe her an apology." Tate said and she got up to get ready. She pulled on a white shirt and her grey cable knit skirt, socks, tie, and her robes. She quickly put her hair in a French braid and walked out of her nook, petting Poppy as she went. The cat kept her company while she was sleeping, and last night had been hard with multiple nightmares.

After eating their breakfast in the great hall, the girls walked to the hospital wing. In Tate's opinion, they already visited it too many times, seeing as it was only the third day of school. When they entered the hall, Madame Merryweather bustled over to them.

"Hello girls. Miss. Zander is in the bed closest to my friends office, I believe she is sleeping now, she had to take quite a few potions last night." She said, gesturing to said bed.

"Madame Merryweather, we were wondering wether you know where they found her." Sophie asked.

"I'm very sorry dear, but I do not. They just brought her in to me and didn't say a word. She does have some nasty scratches though." Madame Merryweather answered, looking at Ramira with a worried look on her face. "Well, I'll leave you three alone."

"Ramira, are you okay?" Tate whispered, for she could tell that Ramira was fake sleeping. Her eyes slowly opened, and a smile cracked her pale face.

"I'm fine." She said, her voice scratchy and lower than usual. " I think I just fell asleep and started sleep walking. And don't worry about the scratches, they're just from the trees." Seeing Sophie staring at the deep scratches.

"Look, Ramira, I'm really sorry about messing up our potion. I didn't know it meant that much to you." Tate said. But the truth was, Ramira had over reacted.

"No, it's fine. I think I was a little to harsh. I've been really nervous about coming to Hogwarts." Ramira said. As she talked, the scratches on her face opened up again and began to bleed.

"Ramira, are you sure those scratches are from trees? They look pretty serious." Grace asked, glancing at the blood that was trickling down Ramira's face.

"Yes, of course what else would they be from?" Ramira answered in an offensive manner. It seemed to Tate as if she was hiding something, but she decided not to press.

"Guys, I think it's time for lessons to start! We need to go!" Sophie exclaimed. The girls got up, said a quick goodbye, and ran out of the hospital wing. The day flew by, and potions, again, was a disaster. This time, Tate had been paired with Vivienne, a Ravenclaw girl. Instead of blowing up like las time, the potion turned a poisonous green rather than the ruby red that it was supposed to. Tate had successfully levitated her feather, and she had moved on to levitating books, with much praise from Professor Weasley.

The sky darkened quickly, and Tate settled down for the night, exhausted from the day's events. Tomorrow was finally a weekend.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The weeks sped by, and September slipped into October, which brought with it colder weather and more rain. Herbology was frequently cancelled, much to the dismay of Grace, as well as Care Of Magical Creatures, due to the flooding of the grounds. The girls found themselves swamped with more and more work as Halloween grew nearer, and some interesting announcements came along.

"Good evening, students!" Professor Wells called one night at dinner, "I have a few announcements for you this evening. First of all, the foreign students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institution will arrive Monday of next week. Second, this year we have decided that we will have an Inter-House exchange student program, where we will select a name from third through seventh year students and they will switch places with a student from a different house for one week. Finally, the first Quidditch match will take place on October the 22nd. Thank you for your attention."

Just two days after this announcement a notice came up on the notice board of the Hufflepuff common room.

"What does it say?" Tate asked, she couldn't see because of the mob of older students crowding the board.

"Let me go see." Grace said, and she shoved her way through the crowd. A couple minutes later she came back. "Well, it says that Quidditch tryouts are two days from now, on Monday the 10th. I'm trying out. You guys should too! Quidditch is so fun!" Tate and Sophie not shook their heads, they had found that they were terrible at flying, but Ramira answered "Sure." Grace ducked back down in the mob to sign Ramira up for tryouts, and then came back.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Ramira asked, it was a weekend and they had finished all of their essays. It was snowing lightly, which was odd for this early in winter, so going out side was not an option.

"Well, we could decorate for Halloween. We could probably find some decorations or something around." Tate said, Halloween was her favourite holiday, and she was getting more and more excited as the days flew by.

"Sure, and we can ask an older student if they can help us decorate. I love Halloween!" Sophie said, jumping up and down.

"Ooh! I have an idea! Maybe, we can ask the headmistress if we can do something where we go around the school to each room and trick-or-treat! It would let us get to know the Professors better and it would be really fun!" Ramira added.

"Sure! And we could make costumes! That would be great. I'll go talk to the headmistress." Grace said, Tate knew that she loved Halloween as well, in fact that was how they had met each other in Tate's old village.

"I think we should all go and talk to her about it, she would probably do it if it was more of us." Sophie put in, so all four girls got up and walked to headmistress' office.

They came to a large Griffin statue and stopped walking.

"Uh, hi?" Tate asked, for she felt a bit silly talking to a statue.

"A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid." Said the statue.

"Oh! It's a riddle! I think I remember this one. It's from an old muggle book, The Hobbit." Sophie said. She sat down on the ground for a minute, and then jumped back up again. "Got it! Eggs." She said to the statue, and it spun around, revealing the first five steps of a spiral staircase. The four girls stepped on, and the staircase started rising up. Finally, they reached a landing with a oak door. They stepped off, and Grace stepped forward and knocked.

"Come in!" Said a calm voice. Grace pushed the door open and the girls walked into the headmistress's office. It was a grand circular room with a loft level and one level slightly sunk into the ground. Portraits of old headmasters or headmistresses lined the wall, as well as numerous bookshelves and cases that held strange silver instruments and glass vials filled with a milky strand of what looked like half liquid, half air.

"Good morning, girls. Good morning Ramira, I am glad to see you recovered." Said Professor Wells from behind her desk that was in the centre of the room. She looked very majestic but kind, sitting in her high backed chair and wearing long, sweeping, ruby-red robes that shimmered in the bright light that was reflecting off the thin sheet of snow outside. Her long, black hair flowed over her shoulder in thick sheets and her bright green eyes flickered with a misty glow.

"Thank you, Professor." Said Ramira, "We came to ask you a question."

"Carry on." Said Professor Wells. She sealed a letter that she had been writing and handed it to a large black owl, who took the letter in it's beak and flew off.

"We, um, we were wondering if it would be possible to do an activity on Halloween day where the students go around to each classroom and trick-or-treat." Ramira said, staring intently at the professor as if entranced by her.

"Well, girls, that is a wonderful idea, an I will ask the other Professors if they are interested. Is that it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Answered Grace.

"Well, you may leave, but I would like to talk to you for a moment, Ramira. Do you mind staying for a moment? Miss. King, Miss. Grey, Miss. Wood, you may wait outside my office or you may go back to your common room, whatever you wish." Professor Wells said, and Tate, Grace, and Sophie looked at Ramira, puzzled.

"It's fine, you guys can wait outside." Ramira said, so the three girls walked out of the office. Grace and Sophie began planning their costumes, but Tate just stood, not really paying attention. Unintentionally, she began hearing small bits of the conversation inside of the office.

"…Transformation? I was worried." She heard Professor Wells say, but then she heard no more for a while.

"… Think Tate suspects. I trust her, it's fine." Ramira said, and Tate listened closer.

"Good, just next time come see me sooner. You may go now." Said Professor Wells, and Tate heard footsteps coming closer to the door. It opened, and Ramira walked out.

"Hi guys, thanks for waiting for me." She said, and they walked down the stairs to the main halls.

When they got back to the common room, they saw older students already enchanting candles to float in midair like in the great hall, and some students carving pumpkins. Hufflepuff was really getting in the mood for Halloween, and Tate suspected that they world be delighted at the opportunity to trick-or-treat around the castle.


	15. Chapter 17

Two days later Tate and Sophie were sitting in the stands of the Quidditch Pitch, waiting for tryouts to start. Grace and Ramira were down on the field getting directions from the captain of the team, along with twenty or so other students. Tate watched as everyone on the field mounted their brooms and shot up into the sky. They began weaving through obstacles on the field that were made to test their agility, Tate supposed. After about five minutes on the obstacle course, the players touched down on the field again to await further instruction.

"So, is Ramira trying out for keeper?" Tate asked, she had forgotten what Ramira was trying out for, but she knew Grace was trying out for chaser.

"Yeah." Sophie answered, looking up from her sketchbook.

"What're you drawing?" Tate asked, and Sophie protectively covered the page with her hand.

"Oh, um, it's nothing." She stammered, her face reddening.

"Okay." Tate sighed, and went back to watching the tryouts. Ramira had taken her position at the goal hoops, and the other goals were manned by a burly and mean-looking seventh year. Grace had joined two third year chasers, two beaters from the fifth year, and a sixth year seeker, as well as another chaser and two second year seekers.

The other team of students that were trying out consisted of the seventh year keeper, three fourth year chasers, seventh year beaters, a third year seeker, two reserve beaters, and a third year keeper. The captain flew up and gave the two teams directions, then threw up the quaffle. The tryouts had begun.

Immediately, the fourth year chaser grabbed the quaffle and shot off towards the goal. She truly was spectacular, for she dodged both of the bludgers that the beaters hit towards her and scored a goal against Ramira, who looked extremely put out. Grace then flew behind the goal posts and caught the quaffle. She threw it to one of the third year chasers, who then tossed it back to her. Together, they zigzagged down the field with the other third year chaser beneath them to catch the quaffle if Grace dropped it. They flew closer to the goal hoops, until Grace was only about twenty feet away. She faked right and the keeper flew to the far left. The quaffle easily slipped through the goal, and Tate went insane.

"Sophie! She scored! She is sure to be on the team! Did you see that?" She screamed. Sophie, however, looked up for a moment and then went back to drawing. The game continued for about half an hour with the captain subbing out players every now and then. Finally, he called them to the ground. They dismounted their brooms and stood in a large captain pulled out a piece of paper from a pocket in his robes, gave a couple of instructions, and then began reading from the parchment. Students began walking over to a different part of the field until only six of them remained by the captain. He talked to them for a few minutes, and then they dispersed.

Tate looked carefully at the six students that had been chosen, and could clearly see that Ramira had been picked.

"Sophie, Ramira made it onto the team!" Are you even listening to me?" She exclaimed, jumping up and down. She saw Ramira and Grace running off the field and rushed down to join them.

"Great job Ramira!" She squealed, giving her friend a huge hug and almost crushing her broom. "Did you make it, Grace? Sorry. I couldn't tell because there were a few girls on the field that looked like you." Grace nodded, grinning more widely than Tate had ever thought possible.

"I KNEW it!" She yelled,a tracking her best friend with a ginormous hug.

"Sophie, come down here!" Ramira yelled after looking up at the stands for a minute.

"So, who else got on the team?" Sophie asked as they were walking back to the castle through a three inch sheet of early snow.

"Well, the fourth year chaser who scored against me got on, and obviously the captain, who is a sixth year beater." Ramira said.

"And also that third year that scored the first goal with me, as well as the sixth year seeker from our team." Said Grace, "I think the third year chaser is named Alexandra Doyle, but I'm not sure.

"Oh, one of the seventh year beaters made it on as well, he was pretty good." Ramira said. They had reached the corridor with the barrels, so Sophie, who had stayed quiet for the whole walk back, took out her wand and tapped the top barrel twice. As usual, the door to the common room appeared.

The common room was empty, which was strange, seeing as it was a time when people were usually doing homework.

"This is creeping me out, can we head to the dorms please?" Sophie asked. She did look very concerned, and she was looking around the common room.

"Okay, come on." Tate said, and she quickly hurried up the stairs to the loft area which looked strangely messy, as if a duel had occurred there.

"Guys, can we please hurry? This is creeping me out, too." Tate asked, sounding fully afraid.

"Sure." Grace said, and she ran the few steps to the door that led to the girls dormitory hall. This too was empty, but you could hear the whispering of voices coming from the dorms. They opened the first year door, and a strange sight met their eyes.

The four girls from the other first year dorm were crowded around the fifth girl, who was sitting on one of the yellow armchairs, sniffling and crying.

"What's going on?" Tate asked one of the girls who was sitting on the sofa.

"Well, Lenie, the girl who's crying, she was forced to let someone in the common room, she said they were threatening to kill her or something, I'm not sure. You can talk to her." Finished the girl.

"Okay, thanks." Said Tate, and she walked over to the group of girls.

"Lenie, what happened?" She asked the girl that everyone was crowding around.

"He-he jumped out from behind one of the barrels and pointed his wand at my throat. And t-t-then, h-he, he threatened t-to torture m-my whole f-family if, if I d-didn't let him in, because there was someone he wanted t-to see." Lenie said, her chin quivering. Ramira drew in a sharp breath after she finished.

"Lenie, do you know what he looked like?" Ramira asked. Her voice was urgent and slightly panicked, and her eyes were huge.

"Y-yes, of course. Gaunt face, high cheekbones, short black hair, sort-of beardy thing, brown eyes." Lenie whispered. Ramira took a step back and collapsed on the sofa.

"Ramira! Are you okay?" Sophie asked. She sat down next to Ramira and looked at her intently. "No, you're not okay." She said. She looked at Tate and Grace, who were standing behind her.

"Do either of you have any more of an idea of what's going on than I do?" She asked.

"No." Tate lied, her brain was working quickly to figure out more of what was going on.

"You're lying." Sophie stated.

"No, I'm not!" Tate argued, protectively folding her arms.

"Tate, it's kind of obvious that you are. Body language, defensive tone. You obviously know more than us." Grace laughed, trying to lighten the mood but failing miserably.

"Fine, but I think we should get Ramira into our dorms." Tate surrendered. The girls helped Ramira, who seemed to be in shock, back to their dorm, and they sat her down on the sofa. Grace ran into her nook and brought out a heavy wool blanket, which she covered Ramira with.

"Do you think we should get her some hot chocolate?" Tate asked, watching Ramira shiver under the blanket.

"Sure, if you want to go. Aiden me that to get into the kitchens you have to tickle the pear in the picture of the bowl of fruit on the main hall that ours branches off of." Grace answered. She and Sophie were sitting on either side of Ramira.

"Okay, thanks!" Tate said. She stopped in her nook to grab her wand off of her table, and then ran out of the dorm room.


	16. Chapter 18

The house elves warmed around the man as he stepped into the warm and cheery kitchens. They offered him food and drink aplenty and he accepted it willingly. The house elves respected him, for he had treated them with kindness, unlike so many other witches and wizards. He sat down at a small thick wood table in the corner and began eating, wolfing down his food. He picked up the copy of The Daily Prophet that he had "borrowed" from a student that day.

Truly, a disillusionment charm could do wonders if you thought about how you used it strategically, which was natural for a Ravenclaw that was always the top of the class. He had full access to the school, as long as he "asked" students to let him in the common rooms. This also had to be done strategically. His ingenious plan had not gone exactly as he has wanted, for the object had not been achieved, but he had gathered various bits of valuable information. The day had not been a waste.

 **Authors Note**

 **wooooo! Two chapters in one night, if you count this as a chapter. Thank you to DorothyNightingale for reading all of the chapters, and your great and constructive reviews. Also, thank you to Lunapup6 for reading and reviewing. I was going to say so ring else, but now I can't remember what it was, so I will not say anything else.**

 **Always,**

 **AjaBadjer**


	17. Chapter 20

Tate came to the painting of the bowl of fruit and reached her arm out, tickling the pear. The painting swung inward to reveal a large, warm room with four long tables in the middle and multiple fireplaces lining the walls. House elves bustled around, preparing food for the next meal of the day. A couple of them stopped and glanced at Tate as she walked into the kitchens.

Many countertops surrounded the four tables, covered with roast chickens, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, glazed carrots, and as many more dishes as Tate could think of. Low racks crowded with gleaming brass pots and pans hung from the ceiling, and Tate had to duck to avoid getting hit by them. She tapped an elf with a huge brass stew pot in its hands on the shoulder, and it stopped and looked up at her.

"Excuse me, sir." She said, for it was a male house elf. "I was wondering if I could get a mug of hot chocolate for my friend."

"Of course, miss." The house elf squeaked and ran off to get the hot chocolate. A minute later he came back, carrying a tray over his head that had not one, but two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, a bowl of steaming hot soup, and a large loaf of fresh bread that was still warm.

"Oh, thank you sir!" Exclaimed Tate. "What's your name?"

"Crocky, miss." Squeaked the elf, and his large ears folded over slightly.

"Well, thank you, Crocky. I hope I'll get to see you again soon." She said, smiling at the small elf and taking the tray of food from him. Crocky was quite cute, with overly large ears, huge warm brown eyes, and a small nose and mouth. She supposed he was a young elf.

Tate began walking towards the door and turned around to say goodby to Crocky. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man similar to the description that Lenie had given her sitting at a wooden table on the far wall, but a second later he was gone.

"Good bye, Crocky!" She said, and the elf waved back at her. She stepped out of the kitchens and into the hall, speeding back to the common room as fast as she could without spelling the soup or hot chocolate.

The common room was empty, save a couple of older students sitting on the sofa in front of the fire together. Tate walked up the staircase and into the first year dorms, where she handed Lenie the extra hot chocolate and then continued on to where Ramira, Grace, and Sophie were still sitting on the sofa.

"Here we go!" Tate said, and she handed Ramira the hot chocolate, who trapped it with shaky hands and almost spelled half of it down her shirt.

"What took so long?" Grace asked, glancing at the tray that still held the soup and bread.

"I met a house elf named Crocky." Tate replied simply, and Grace nodded her head.

"A what what?" Sophie asked, obviously confused. Tate had forgotten that her parents were muggles, so she wouldn't know what a house elf was.

"I'll show you later." Tate said. "And we should go see Moaning Myrtle."


	18. Chapter 24

Two nights and two days of gruelling lessons later, the girls were sitting on the sofa in the common room, completing a charms essay for Professor Weasley. Tate had advanced quickly in the class, and it was clearly her best subject. The class was now working in the "Petrificus Totalus" charm, which Tate found more challenging than anything else they had attempted so far.

"So, you guys excited for getting free candy tonight?" Grace asked. The day before, a letter had come from Professor Wells, saying that the other professors had been enthusiastic about their idea, and they would announce it at the Halloween feast.

"Of course!" Tate exclaimed, it had been years since she had last gone trick-or-treating. She had faint memories of going around her old village, Ottery St. Catchpole , with Grace, knocking on muggle doors and practically screaming "Trick Or Treat!" with a lisp, because her front teeth had fallen out.

Tate was pulled back to reality by Sophie saying "Ramira, are you okay?" Tate looked over and saw that Ramira was very pale and shaky, and her eyes were unfocused.

"I, I'm fine. Just a bit tir-" Ramira started, but her words were cut off when she leaned over and was sick on the carpet.

"Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing." Tate suggested.

"No, I'm fine" Ramira said, then leaned over as another wave of sick hit her.

"I really think you should go to the Hospital Wing." Sophie said.

"Oh, fine." Ramira surrendered, and she ran out of the common room.

"Poor Ramira. I hope she's okay." Grace whispered, "Do you guys know where she went on the first day of school? Tate?"

"I, well, I'm still trying to figure it out. I probably know just as much as you guys, but I feel like she's hiding something." Tate whispered back, she didn't want people to overhear.

"Guys, I don't want to pry too much." Sophie whispered. She was always the modest nice one of the group. "She might not want to tell us."

"I guess you're right. Should we go down to the feast? It's about to start." Tate suggested. Grace and Sophie agreed, so the three of them walked down to the great hall together.

The great hall was decorated magnificently, with live bats that fluttered around the enchanted ceiling, and instead of the normal candles for light, there were carved pumpkins floating in midair above the tables, which were adorned with black cloth and their normal gold goblets and plates. The floors looked shinier than normal, and Tate recalled that the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be arriving just the next day.

The girls took their places at the Hufflepuff table, and turned towards the head table, waiting for the normal before dinner announcements. Professor Flora rang a small bell for silence, and the hall quieted.

"Happy Halloween, students!" Called Professor Wells, smiling at all of them. "I have a short announcement to make before the feast begins. Four students have approached me with the idea of having a trick-or-treating event this evening, and the professors and I have decided to allow the idea to commence. This evening at 9 o'clock, we will be allowing students to go around the castle to trick or treat. I believe that is it. Thank you." As she said this, the golden trays and bowls were filled with steaming hot food and fresh breads and fruits. Tate piled her plate high with pumpkin bread and filled a bowl with butternut squash soup, and another plate with mashed potatoes and gravy.

"I wish Ramira was here." Sophie sighed, staring at her food dejectedly. She looked up at the ceiling, and Tate did too. It was cloudy, and only the full moon was showing through.

"Well, let's hope she's fine. In the mean time, let's enjoy ourselves." Grace said, she was smiling and already digging into her food, as was Tate.

"Alright." Sophie smiled, and helped herself to a chicken drumstick.

By the end of the feast, the girls were full and exhausted, but there was still the trick or treating at 9 o'clock. They returned to their common room and sat on the sofa, laughing and telling stories about past Halloweens. It soon became 8, and finally 9 o'clock. At the chime of the clock, distant but still clear, it seemed as if the Hufflepuff common room came alive. More students than Tate thought the Hufflepuff house had made their way through the door and out into the corridor that led to the main floor.

Students swarmed the hall, some dressed in school robes, most wearing everyday clothing. They went their own ways when they came to the spiral staircase, and Tate and the girls went up one floor. They came to the charms class and knocked on the door.

"TRICK OR TREAT!" They called, a little louder than intended, and their words echoed down the hall as though there were invisible people repeating them. The door opened, and Professor Weasley emerged looking very tired.

"W-why h-hello, girls, happy h-Halloween." He stammered, stifling a yawn and handing them each a chocolate frog, which they stuffed into their pockets.

"Professor, are you alright?" Tate asked. She noticed that his skin was pale and grey, and he had huge bags under his eyes.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, just v-very tired." He yawned again. "Been brewing some v-very complicated p-potions, Professor Willfeather w-was injured while attempting it. Thank you, girls." He closed the door on them, and they walked down the hall to the transfiguration classroom. Again, they called "trick or treat!" And the door opened. Professor Flora greeted them with her usual cheery smile and gave them each a fizzing whizbee. They left, but quickly she slipped something extra into Sophie's hand. She winked, and then closed the door to their classroom. They continued on for a while, stopping by each classroom they came to and getting a treat each time.

"Guys, can we stop in here real fast?" Grace asked, pulling them into an empty classroom to their left. She sat down on an old desk and looked at them. Her face was strangely pale. "Did you guys realise that there was someone tailing us for that whole time?" She asked, almost whispering.

"No…" Tate trailed off.

"Sort of." Sophie answered. She was glancing at the door.

"Well, I don't like it." Grace said, and then she poked her head out of the door. "Come on." The girls walked out into the hall and saw that it was empty. It was like they had gone to another time, and through the window there was a cloudless, starry sky.

"Guys, this is weird." Tate whispered. The hall seemed to be completely deserted, but somehow Tate could tell that there were other people still there. But, not there. They looked around the hall, and then knocked on one of the Professor's doors. There was no reply, and she did not hear the knock.

"I can tell we're in the same hall. The room didn't transport us somewhere else." She said. She could tell that they were definitely not in the same… Time. That was it. "I think… I think that the room transported us back in time." She whispered. Grace and Sophie looked at her like she was insane, and it probably was. Just then, they heard footsteps coming down the hall, and the girls hid behind a niche in the wall. Two boys came running from their left, panting and arguing about something. They stopped right in front of where the girls were, and Tate was positive that they would be spotted. Instead, the two boys, who Tate thought looked like they were in their third year, pretended to pay no attention to them.

"Eiragon, what in Merlin's name is this about?" The smaller boy asked.

"Do you know?" The taller boy, Eiragon, asked. He was tall and lanky, and he had short black hair that spiked up in the front. His face was shadowed, but Tate could see that there was something different about it, something familiar.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Squeaked the smaller boy, and Eiragon grabbed his hair, pinning him against the wall.

"Oh, I think you do. You've been asking questions. Been trying to figure things out. Tell me what you know!" Eiragon practically yelled. He let go of the smaller boy's hair and began pacing the hall.

"I-I, I only know that you leave the castle or get really sick, and that you always come back the next day with scars on your face. I-if you t-told me where you go, m-maybe I could help you?" The small boy looked terrified at what he was saying, but he continued. "You're always alone, and I thought that maybe, maybe you just need a friend for once?"

"No. I don't do friends. I don't need friends. I'm fine." Eiragon said. Then, he walked out of the hall the opposite way he had come. The smaller boy looked around, and then ran back the way he had come.

"Guys, I think we should go back to the classroom." Sophie whispered, and they followed her back into the room without question. They closed the door and sat for a moment, in utter silence. They knew what they had just experienced. They had gone back in time. But how? And who was that boy, Eiragon, whose name sounded so familiar to Tate. Instead of voicing this question out loud, she got up and pushed open the door, and was relieved to find the same students still standing outside, all smiling and talking as if nothing had happened, as if not a moment had gone by.

"It's all clear." Tate said, looking back at Grace and Sophie. They followed her out of the room and into the bustling hall.


	19. Chapter 29

**Hey guys! So, you're finally getting a new chapter! Woooooo! I'm so so so so super sorry that it took this long, but this part took me a really long time to write, and I haven't had the time to type it up. I will have a couple more chapters come out really soon, like in the next couple days, so yeah! I really hope you like this. Also, I am going to do a major edit to the first chapter, because I just re read it and the very beginning is horrible. That may take a few weeks though. Also, as promised, I will try to change the name and cover of this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **-Aja**

The morning after Halloween, Tate awoke to see Ramira sitting on the sofa, reading a copy of The Daily Prophet. Her hair was more muted shade of her normal bright turquoise, her face had more scratches on it, and her eyes had large bags under them, as if she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

"Hello, Tate." She said, her voice was muted and lower than usual.

"Morning. Are you feeling better?" Tate replied, sitting down next to her. The heading on the paper read "Eiragon Calgar released from Azkaban prison after three years."

What did that man do to get into Azkaban?" She asked.

"He killed the bartender at the leaky cauldron in 2003. They sentenced him to three years and now they've released him." Ramira sighed. "I'm feeling better, thanks."

A few minutes later, both grace and Sophie had woken and changed, and the girls were heading down to the great hall for breakfast, discussing the paper.

"The man in the picture looked so familiar." Tate was saying. She had been racking her brain for the last five minutes, trying to figure out where she had seen that man. They reached the great hall and sat down at the Hufflepuff table like usual. Tate poured some Owl O's into a bowl and began munching away, staring contentedly at the ceiling.

Suddenly, she heard a sharp gasp and then a clang from not too far down the table, and she looked down. Lenie and her two friends had taken a seat next to Grace, who had been reading the article about the released convict. Juice now covered the paper, and Lenie sat white faced and trembling, staring at the picture.

"That's him." She whispered, "That's the man that tried to get into the common room." Grace and Lenie's two friends were staring at her, amazed and frightened.

"It can't be." Ramira said, seemingly reassuring herself as much as the others, for she looked quite shaken as well. "It can't be" Her words were cut off at the ringing of a bell from the head table, and all talking ceased.

"Good morning, students." Smiled Professor Wells. "Today, as some of you are probably aware, the students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute will be arriving, as well as countless ministry representatives from our own ministry, and those from the countries of the participating schools. We ask that you try and keep the castle clean, and that you are in the courtyard by no later than one thirty. Also, Professor Willfeather has been injured while brewing a more complicated potion, so Professor Blanchard will be stepping in while he is recovering. Thank you." There was a smattering of polite applause after the announcements, and then the buzz of talking and the clink of silverware and goblets consumed the hall once more.

Herbology was cancelled, due to early drifts of snow, and during charms, Tate and Sophie mastered the full body bind charm. The rest of the day up until one thirty passed quickly, and Tate was too excited for the arrival of the other schools to pay much attention to her lessons.

She found herself, Sophie, Grace, and Ramira lined up with the rest of the Hufflepuff house, surrounded on both sides by lines of other houses. Professor Longbottom walked up and down the row of Hufflepuffs, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

"I remember when the Triwizard Tournament was last held." He said, stopping in front of Tate and her friends. "It was freezing. Beauxbatons had a hard time, they were wearing silk robes. Oh, I can't wait to see them in this weather!" He laughed, "Durmstrang was well suited for that weather, though. They come from somewhere up north, I believe. They should be here soon." Professor Longbottom checked his watch, muttered "very soon," and then continued to walk up and down the row.

"Why is there a hole in the lake?" A Gryffindor first year standing behind Tate asked. She glanced at the lake and saw that there was indeed a large hole in the lake, similar to one when you that the plug out of the drain in the bathtub. Slowly, a huge mast emerged from the whirlpool, rocking and swaying on the surface of the lake. Then the ship that went along with the mast surfaced. It was dark and black, and its burgundy sails were tattered and faded. It rocked on the disturbed water and made its way toward the shore, where it docked and threw down the gangplank.

The Durmstrang students trooped out of the ship and onto the shores of the black lake. Burgundy cloaks were draped over their shoulders, and they wore brown fur hats. They made their way up the steps to the courtyard, just as what looked like a huge flying house careened out from the clouds, pulled by four giant steeds. Everyone in the courtyard screamed as the house nearly crashed to the ground, scattering everyone. The house, or what Tate realised was a massive carriage, flew shakily back into the sky and slid into the muddy and snowy field by the greenhouses.

The Durmstrang students continued up to the castle, while the Beauxbatons students came out, shivering in the cold November air that was seeping through their blue silk robes. Tate turned around to see Professor Longbottom laughing to himself.

"They never learn." He muttered, smiling and shaking his head.

"How old were you when the last Triwizard Tournament was here, Professor?" Tate asked, just as the Durmstrang students entered the courtyard.

"I was fourteen. They just changed the Tournament so that it takes place every four years." Professor Longbottom responded. Tate turned back to the front of the courtyard, where the Durmstrang headmaster and Professor Wells were deep in conversation. The Beauxbatons students were still making their way up to the courtyard, huddled together and clutching shawls over their heads. The Durmstrang students were grouped around the frozen fountain in the middle of the courtyard, milling around and whispering in their deep, northern accents.

"Students, may I present to you, Professor Krum and the students of Durmstrang!" Professor Wells cried to all of the students. A great amount of whispering was heard from the Hogwarts students, for Krum was the last name of a famous Quidditch player who had retired just five years before and had won two world cups for Bulgaria.

"Wait, Victor Krum?" An older Slytherin student shouted.

"Yes." Professor Wells shouted back, at which there was a great uproar of talking and a clamour to get autographs.

In this time, the Beauxbatons students had made their way up to the courtyard, and were huddled around their headmistress, speaking in rapid French.

"Students, Madame Celen-DuPont and the students of Beauxbatons!" Professor Wells called, after greeting the headmistress fondly. "Shall we head in to show you around the castle?" She asked the other headmasters. They gave their consent, and made their way up the stairs that led to the great oak doors that opens to the entry hall.

"Prefects, if you would please lead your house back to your dormitories while I give the foreign students a tour of the castle. The feast will begin at 6:30, and you have the rest if the afternoon off." Professor Wells notified the Prefects. The prefects led the houses back to the common rooms, where Tate, Grace, Ramira, and Sophie headed up to their dormitory.

"So, what should we do?" Grace asked from where she was laying on the sofa like a cat. Tate sat in the entrance to her nook, petting Poppy, who had grown much larger and, if possible, fluffier. Sophie sat in an armchair, reading what she said was a "comic book", a book with only pictures and speech bubbles, and the pictures didn't move. Ramira sat beside a fireplace, her hair still muted but regaining its colour, and her scratches more accentuated than ever.

"You guys want to go outside?" Sophie asked, breaking the silence and throwing down her comic book.

"Sure." Tate and Grace both answered.

"I think I-I-I'll just stay in. I'm a bit sleepy." Ramira yawned, stumbling into her nook. "See you guys later."

Tate, Grace, and Sophie headed outside, throwing on cloaks, scarves, hats, gloves, and sweaters, for it was very cold out. They made their way through the snowy field, stopping by the shore of the lake where they had sat on their first day of school.

"You guys want to sit down?" Sophie asked, bending down and then standing up to face Grace and Tate, hands behind her back and a sneaky smile on her face.

"What do you have in your hands Sophie?" Grace asked, walking a little closer to Sophie.

"Don't come any closer." Sophie laughed.

"What? Sophie?" Tate asked, cautiously taking a few steps closer to her.

"I told you not to come any closer!" Sophie laughed again, "I'll have to…" Before Tate could process what was going on, a handful of snow had hit her full in the face, thrown by Sophie.

"SOPHIE!" Tate screamed, chasing after Sophie, who had run off. Tate scooped up a handful of snow and tossed it at Sophie's back. It hit her, and Sophie shrieked, scooping up more snow and throwing it at Tate. The snowball missed, hitting Grace who gasped. Their snowball fight lasted until dark, when they sat shivering and with their wand tips alight.

"What time do you think it is?" Sophie asked, her breath appearing like steam in the wand light.

"Not past four." Grace answered. "Whats that sound?"

"What sound?" Sophie asked. Her wand tip extinguished as she looked behind and around her.

"That noise." Grace said, and Tate listened hard. She heard a faint crunching sound in the snow, like a sound that an animal would make, but human at the same time. Tate pointed her wand in the direction of the sound, while Grace and Sophie looked the opposite way, thinking it was coming from that way. The light from Tate's wand fell upon the back of a girl Tate's size, walking across the snow and melting their footprints.

"Hello?" Tate asked, but the person didn't turn around. Grace and Sophie both turned around, just in time to see the person run into the Forbidden Forest.


	20. Chapter 32

"Grace, are you sure that's Ramira?" Tate asked, running after Grace, who was chasing after the girl who had run into the forest. "Because she's inside. She said she was tired. Why would she lie to us?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Grace asked, running farther ahead of Tate.

"Grace! Grace, come back! Don't go over there! If you really think that is her, then don't go there!"

"Why not, I just want to see where she's going, she hasn't ever told us. You'd think she would. Some friend." Tate was panicking now, running after Grace, even though she knew the risks.

"Grace, just please listen to me! I know where she's going, and I can tell you if you want to know so badly! Grace!" But it was too late. Grace had run into the forest right after the girl, and all Tate and Sophie could do was sit and wait in dread. The first howl was agonizing to Tate, and it was all she could do to keep from running back to the castle.

"Tate, please. Why can't we just go after that girl and Grace, there are werewolves in the forest, and they might get hurt." Sophie whispered. Tate glanced up at the full moon. Yes, there certainly were werewolves in the forest, she thought, and Grace was about to meet one. A scream came from a little ways into the forest, and through the darkness, Tate could see Sophie sit up straighter.

"Tate, are you sure we can't go in there? I know we would get docked more points, but Grace could be in trouble." Sophie whispered, leaning towards Tate.

"Yes, I'm sure. This isn't just about getting docked points. We could get seriously injured if we go in there." Tate said. Her hands were freezing cold and shaking, and she felt like crying. How could she be so selfish? The sorting hat had said that she was supposed to be in Hufflepuff, but right now she felt like a Slytherin.

"Tate, I don't get it. We're supposed to be in Hufflepuff. We protect our friends. I'm going in there to get Grace." Sophie whispered. Her words mirrored Tate's thoughts, so, reluctantly, Tate got up and followed her into the darkness of the forest.

"Lumos!" Bot girls whispered, and their wand tips ignited, sending narrow beams of light through the dense trees and underbrush. A howl pierced the silence, and it sounded much closer than the first one had been. Sophie grabbed Tate's hand, and together they made their way through the forest, looking for signs of Grace. They saw small areas of forest floor that had been cleared of the leaves left over from fall, and then a larger area that made it look as if someone or something had been pulled along the floor.

Tate and Sophie followed the trail of the cleared leaves, and it led them deeper and deeper into the forest. Eventually the undergrowth grew so thick that the trail was almost lost, twisting and turning through the tree. They followed the cleared trail for what seemed like hours, until they came to an are where the trees thinned and revealed a small clearing where a small house sat, abandoned and run down.

"That's the house from my dream!" Tate whispered.

"What dream?" Sophie asked.

"Oh, nothing." Tate walked forward, listening for any sound of life in the house, but she could hear nothing. "Sophie, stay there. I want to see something." She stepped towards the house, her hand shaking. She opened the door, just as she heard something run out from the trees behind her. Suddenly, she was shoved forward by a huge creature, one much bigger than Sophie.

"Sophie!" Tate yelled, huddled against the wall and the creature behind her.

"What should I do?" Sophie asked, her voice shaking.

"Full body bind!" Tate yelled, coming up with a random spell.

"O-okay. Petrificus Totalus!" Sophie yelled, and the creature froze. Tate crawled out from behind the creature, and walked around to Sophie.

"Thanks. We should look for Grace." She said.

"Ok-kay." Sophie whispered, her voice still very shaky.

"Hey. It's okay." Tate said, hugging Sophie.

"I know." Sophie whispered. "Now, Grace." The girls walked up past the beast, and into the house. The floor creaked, and dust lined every surface.

"Wow. Such a happy place." Sophie whispered, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I would love to live here. Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah. It is kind of cute, though." Tate whispered back. A door to their left was opened, and Tate stepped through the frame. There was a window on the wall that let in the moonlight of a full moon.

"Oh."

"What?" Sophie asked, looking around the room.

"Oh no, no no no no no." Tate whispered. She moved towards a small heap on the floor, and turned it over. "Grace. Grace. Grace!" She whispered, crying.

"Tate, what's wrong?" Sophie asked.

"Look out the window." Tate whispered. "What stage is the moon in? It's a full moon, isn't it! What did that creature look like? A wolf!"

"Oh." Sophie whispered.

"We need to get grace back to the castle. I doubt the feast has started." Tate said. She stood up.

"We can't carry Grace, she's too heavy." Sophie said, still looking out the window. "Wait, wasn't the full moon last night, Halloween?"

"Full moons last for two nights. And I have an idea to get her back to the castle." Tate said. She pointed her wand at Grace, and whispered "Wingardium Leviosa." Grace rose off the ground, her head dangling limply, and her leg and arm bleeding.

"No. No, no, no." Tate whispered. "Please don't be dead."

"Come on Tate." Sophie said, as she walked out the door. They followed their path back to the field, and ran as fast as they could to the front doors, with Grace floating behind them.

"We should take her to the hospital wing." Tate panted, once they were in the castle.

"I'm really starting to hate that place." Sophie panted as they walked as fast as possible to the Hospital Wing.

Sophie ran to the door of the hospital wing and knocked as hard as she could on the oak door.

"Madame Merryweather!" She yelled, much to the distaste of some of the portraits in the hall. The oak doors opened, and a very cross Madame Merryweather stepped out.

"Miss. Grey! I expect you to know that it is unacceptable to shout in the halls." She whispered.

"Im sorry Madame, but it is an emergency. Our friend has been… Well, you can see." Sophie whispered.

"Very well then, come in." Madame Merryweather said, opening the door a bit wider. Bright yellow light poured out of the room, and Tate was able to see Grace's wounds in horrible relief, and her pants and shirt were covered in blood. Tate walked in, and Grace floated in after her, and was put onto a bed.

"Oh." Madame Merryweather gasped. "My, well. I hope I will be able to deal with this, but we may have to send her to St. Mungo's."

"Sorry?" Sophie asked.

"Wizarding hospital in London." Tate whispered. "Well, thank you, we should probably go now."

"Very well." Professor Merryweather said, still looking at Grace. The two girls headed towards their dormitories, and were in the hall that led to the marble staircase when they were stopped by a young man that looked to be about twenty.

"Hello." The man said.

"Hello. Do I know you?" Tate asked.

"Um, I do not believe so. I'm Professor Blanchard, stepping in for Professor Willfeather while he is recovering from injuries." The man, or Professor Blanchard said. "Um, do you girls happen to know Ramira Zander? First year, I believe? I was wanting to speak to her about her outstanding performance in potions so far."

"Oh, yeah." Sophie said. "Yeah, we know her."

"Wonderful! Do you happen to know where she is?" Professor Blanchard asked.

"Well, we thought we did, but I'm not so sure now." Tate said.

"Oh?"

"See, we were just outside. Our friend was bitten by a werewolf." Sophie whispered.

"Oh, dear. I assume she is in the hospital wing? I may be able to help." Professor Blanchard said.

"Thank you, sir. Now, we should get to our common room. To look for Ramira." Tate said, and walked off. The girls walked to their dormitory, and found the common room empty.

"I wonder where everyone is." Sophie said.

"Yeah. Maybe the feast already started." The girls walked up the stairs to the loft area, and found a group of three people sitting at the large oak table.

"Excuse me," Tate said, " has the feast started?"

"No." One of the girls sitting at the table said.

"Alright. Thanks." Tate walked into the girls dorm hall, and then into the first first year dormitory, where there were five girls, and then into their dormitory. Ramira was curled up on the sofa, fast asleep.

"Huh." Tate said to herself.

"Uh, Tate? You never told me why we needed to look for Ramira." Sophie whispered.

"Um… Why don't we go to the common room." Tate said, and slipped out of the dormitory. She made her way downstairs to the common room, where she sat on the sofa in front of the fire. Sophie joined her, and they sat there for a few minutes, just staring at the fire.

"So… What?" Sophie asked.

"Oh, yeah. So, I said that I know where Ramira goes. And I do. I think, no, I know. She's a werewolf." Sophie gasped a bit too loud at the news, her eyes widening.

"So, she bit Grace." Sophie whispered.

"No. It isn't possible. Because she was asleep. At first I thought it was her, but it isn't. " Tate said.

"Well, how do you know? She could have slipped in here after we brought Ramira to the hospital wing, and pretended to be asleep." Sophie said, looking around the common room to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation.

"It isn't possible. We put the full body bind curse on that werewolf, and it should last until at least now. And a werewolf is transformed for the whole night, it can't transform at will. That's animagi."

"What?"

"Never mind. The point is, it isn't possible for Ramira to have bitten Grace." Tate said, sure of her answer.

"But Grace doesn't know that." Sophie said. "And she thinks Ramira bit her."

"Exactly." At this, students began coming into the common room and walking out of the corridor that led to the outside hall, heading towards the feast. "I guess we should get going." The girls walked to the great hall, along with many other students who were laughing and joking around.

"So, I'm guessing Ramira isn't going to be at the feast." Sophie almost yelled, over the crowds of students.

"No." Tate answered. They arrived at the great hall, to see it bedecked with the colours and banners of all four houses and the Hogwarts crest. The two girls sat down at their usual spot at the Hufflepuff table, Ramira and Grace's spots left empty.

"Wait, how can Ramira be asleep on the sofa if it's a full moon?" Sophie asked, her voice almost inaudible over the sound of hundreds of students talking and laughing.

"I, I don't know." Tate said. She had forgotten about that. Just then, the great oak doors opened, and a group of Beauxbatons students walked in, and sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Hi, can I sit here?" A girl asked. She looked to be about Tate's age. She had light blonde hair that was cut short and choppy, and her eyes were a light hazel.

"Yeah, sure." Sophie said. She scooted over to let the girl sit down.

"I'm Vivienne." The girl said, with a slight French accent.

"Oh, I'm Sophie and that's Tate." Sophie said. The girl sat down next to Sophie, and stared at the head table.

"I've always wondered what Hogwarts was like." Vivienne said.

"So, are you going to try out for the Tournament?" Tate asked. The girl seemed to be a bit young.

"No, but I came because my sister is. I'm only first year."

"Oh." There was a quiet sound of a bell ringing from the head table, and all talking ceased.

"Good evening, students and guests. I hope you are all having a good stay here so far, and welcome to Hogwarts. Now, I must inform you about some of the rules of the Triwizard tournament. It is a very daunting and dangerous tasks, and if you are chosen, there is no turning back. However, that being said. Only students that are of age, that is seventeen years, are allowed to submit their name to be chosen." At this, there was an uproar from many students. The shouting died down after a couple of minutes, and Professor Wells was able to speak again.

"May we bring in the Goblet, please?" She called, and the great oak doors opened to reveal a group of wizards carrying a large wooden case. They carried the case to in front of the head table, and set it down. Then, Professor Wells tapped the case with her wand. The case seemed to melt away, disappearing completely to reveal a huge wooden goblet. The goblet looked like it had been hewn straight from the trunk of a massive tree, and one side of it was carved like a grand castle that sat on a cliff. "This," Professor Wells said, "is the Goblet of Fire. It is the impartial judge, who will be choosing those who will compete in the tournament. I will be drawing an age line around it, and it is foolish to try and cross. Good luck everyone, and let the feast BEGIN!" Immediately, the golden platters and bowls that had been empty filled with food and soups and stews of all kinds. The glass pitchers that had been empty filled with pumpkin juice and butterbeer, and any other type of drink imaginable.

"Ooh! They have Sprite!" Sophie said, picking up a pitcher full of what looked like bubbly water to Tate, and filling her goblet with it. "Tate, you should try it." She then filled Tate's goblet with the bubbly water. Tate looked around at all of the soups and saw that there was creamy potato soup, and she filled her bowl.

"So, what's Sprite?" Vivienne asked, eyeing the drink warily.

"Oh, you haven't had it? It's a muggle drink and it's super good! Here, you should try it." Sophie then poured Vivienne a goblet of Sprite. Vivienne took a sip, and her eyes widened.

"Wow. That is really bubbly!" Vivienne gasped, choking. "Tate, you should try it." Tate took a sip, the bubbles splattering her face and getting up her nose. It truly was bubbly, and a bit overwhelming. Tate started choking.

"It's good, isn't it?" Sophie asked, laughing at both girls' reactions.

"Yeah, just" Vivienne started.

"Really really bubbly." Tate finished. The girls began eating, and only once their plates and bowls were almost empty did they talk again.

"So," Tate said, "did you just move to France?"

"Yeah, how could you tell?" Vivienne asked.

"You don't have much of an accent, and you speak really good English."

"Well done, Sherlock." Vivienne smiled.

"Thanks." Tate said, sipping more Sprite and then choking again.

The bell rang at the head table, and silence consumed the hall. Professor Wells stood up, and shouted "Students, please return to your dormitories. Good night." Once she had finished, benches began scraping the floor, and talking once again echoed off of the stone walls.

"Well, see you tomorrow." Tate half-yelled to Vivienne.

"Yeah. Good night." Vivienne responded, joining the rest of her school.

"Bye!" Sophie yelled after her. The two girls wove their way through the crowds in the hall, hurrying to the turnoff to their dormitories and finally reaching their beds and the warm fire and sofa of their dorm room.

"G'night Tate." Sophie yawned about fifteen minutes later after a long conversation that had been held in their pyjamas on the carpeted floor in dim wand light.

"Night." Tate mumbled, climbing into her bed. Seconds later she was off in a dream, back in the forest.

 **Hey Guys!**

 **I am so incredibly sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I have been really really busy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was the easiest and most fun to write. Comment if you want to guess who/ what bit Grace! And what is going to happen!**

 **-Aja**


	21. Real Chapter-Chapter 21

The next morning was cold and crisp, with a light early snow falling. Tate awoke to see Sophie sitting on the sofa in the centre of the room, reading a comic book.

"Hey…" Sophie said. Tate sat down on the sofa with Poppy in her arms, purring.

"Is Ramira still asleep?" Tate asked.

"Yeah." Sophie answered, still staring at her comic book.

"Oh…"

"What?"

"I just… I was hoping that it had all been a really bad dream." Tate whispered. Her eyes began to water, on the verge of tears, but she blinked them back. 'Stay strong.' She remembered, when she had fallen and skinned her knee, when she had heard the news about Grace's dad. Always 'stay strong.' So she did.

"Me too." Sophie said, still staring at her comic book, eyes racing along the page, but obviously not reading.

"We should probably get ready for lessons." Tate sighed, getting up from the sofa and walking back to her nook. Slowly, she put her uniform and robes on, gathered up her books and wand, pet Poppy on the head, and walked out of her nook. Sophie was still in her nook, so Tate sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Tate stared into the dancing flames, Poppy in her arms, and thought about the events of last night. Ramira was still asleep, and the dorm was blissfully quiet. Tate felt herself dozing off, the heat of the fire warming her cheeks, and soon she was fast asleep.

 **A/N**

 **Well hellooooo there peoples!**

 **I'm so sorry that I have been dormant for soooooo long. I've had a ton of crap going on. Anyway, I'm back to working on the story, so there's that. I need to write a bunch of chapters, and I have the holiday section all planned out, just need to connect that and other parts so look forward to that sometime pretty soon. If you've noticed, I deleted basically all of the updates, so the story probably is showing up as a bunch shorter. I'll try to stop having so many updates rather than real chapters. Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story, and have a good rest of the week or whatever!**

 **Ajabadjer**

 **ps- sorry about the really short chapter. I just wanted to get something out so that you didn't think I'd died. Or something to that effect. Affect. I don't know anymore. )**


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning was cold and crisp, with a light early snow falling. Tate awoke to see Sophie sitting on the sofa in the centre of the room, reading a comic book.

"Hey…" Sophie said. Tate sat down on the sofa with Poppy in her arms, purring.

"Is Ramira still asleep?" Tate asked.

"Yeah." Sophie answered, still staring at her comic book.

"Oh…"

"What?"

"I just… I was hoping that it had all been a really bad dream." Tate whispered. Her eyes began to water, on the verge of tears, but she blinked them back. 'Stay strong.' She remembered, when she had fallen and skinned her knee, when she had heard the news about Grace's dad. Always 'stay strong.' So she did.

"Me too." Sophie said, still staring at her comic book, eyes racing along the page, but obviously not reading.

"We should probably get ready for lessons." Tate sighed, getting up from the sofa and walking back to her nook. Slowly, she put her uniform and robes on, gathered up her books and wand, pet Poppy on the head, and walked out of her nook. Sophie was still in her nook, so Tate sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Tate stared into the dancing flames, Poppy in her arms, and thought about the events of last night. Ramira was still asleep, and the dorm was blissfully quiet. Tate felt herself dozing off, the heat of the fire warming her cheeks, and soon she was fast asleep.

Hours later, Tate awoke to a dark common room, with only the embers of the dying fire for light. She slowly stood up and walked to her nook, where she saw Poppy laying on her bed, bathed in light from the lamp on the bedside table. Tate slowly walked to Sophie's nook, only to see the bed empty, and then to Ramira's nook. The bed was empty there as well. The sight of Ramira's empty bed startled Tate, and her eyes suddenly came into focus. She raced back to the sofa and grabbed her wand, and then raced out of the empty dorms. Tate ran as fast as she could through the common room, where there were a few older students, and through the hall. In the hall, she heard the distant sound of loud voices and clinking plates, and there was a dim light spilling into the hall. She ran to the great hall, where she saw the professors sitting at the table, happily conversing, and Sophie and Ramira sitting at the Hufflepuff table caught up in a conversation, heads close together. Vivienne was sitting across from them, looking distantly at the entrance to the great hall, and when she spotted Tate, her face lifted into a smile and waved her over. Tate slid onto the bench next to Vivienne and filled her plate, stuffing her face with food to assuage her incredible hunger.

"Where were you?" Sophie asked, although the answer seemed obvious to Tate.

"Fell asleep, I don't know why."

"You can do that here?" Vivienne asked, amazed.

"Well, we're not supposed to, but sometimes it happens." Sophie answered. "You just have to redo class work or homework."

"Oh, if I did that, Madame Celen would kill me." Vivienne shuddered at the thought, and continued eating.

"Do you know when they pick the champions?" Tate asked. She assumed she had missed that speech since she had been late for dinner.

"Yeah, tomorrow at dinner." Both girls responded. Tate nodded, and continued stuffing her face.

"I checked on Grace." Sophie whispered to Tate across the table. "She wasn't doing well, and Madame Merryweather thinks that they'll have to move her to the St. Mungo's place." Tate practically spat out her mouthful of food upon hearing this.

"What?" She yelped.

"They're saying that her bites seemed to be from an older werewolf. Not our age, and not any students age, almost like Professor Wells age." Sophie continued.

"But that can't be. We saw the girl going into the forest." Tate muttered.

"I know, but maybe she wasn't the werewolf, maybe there was someone else in the forest who bit Grace." Sophie thought for a second, "Maybe they're hiding out in the house." Tate looked up, and realized that she, Sophie and Vivienne were some of the only ones left in that great hall.

"Werewolf?" Vivienne asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, it's nothing." Tate brushed her off. She knew it sounded rude, but she needed to get back to the common room and think. If it hadn't been the girl that bit Grace, and it hadn't been Ramira either, then who had? And how would they be able to live in that collapsing house? "Sorry, I need to get to the common room, I don't feel to good." She said.

"What about the Hospital wing?" Vivienne offered, "I could take you."

"No, it's alright." She got up and made her way to the common room, and then up to the dorms, with Sophie racing behind her.

"Tate, is everything alright?" She asked once they were back in their dorms, but stopped short when she saw Ramira sitting on the couch playing with Poppy.

"Hi Ramira!" Tate bounded onto the sofa next to Ramira and flopped down. Sophie came and sat next to her, politely folding her hands and crossing her ankles.

"Hi…" Ramira yawned. Her eyes looked tired, and she had huge bags under her eyes.

"Can I ask you something?" Tate asked, and Sophie sighed behind her.

"Yeah, ask away." Ramira said. She petted Poppy absentmindedly as she watched the fire.

"Are you a werewolf?" The question caught Ramira by surprise and she looked up, cracking her neck and wincing in pain.

"Tate." Sophie hissed.

"Sorry?" Ramira gaped.

"Are you a werewolf?" Tate repeated the question.

"That's not really something you go around asking people, Tate." Ramira sighed, on the defensive and much more awake than she had been seconds ago.

"I know, I just need to know because something happened to Grace and we're trying to figure it out."

Ramira nodded, her eyes widening and her jaw going a little slack.

"Well, what happened?" She asked. She looked a bit queasy, like she already thought she knew what had happened.

"It was the night that we went outside and you stayed in the dorm, after the other schools arrived. We went outside and had a snowball fight, and then when it was dark we were sitting by the lake and we heard someone waking behind us." Tate described how Grace had run into the forest thinking that the girl was Ramira and had gotten bitten. "We think that she was bitten by a werewolf." Ramira looked like she was going to throw up or cry, or both at the same time.

"I guess I should have told you sooner, but I am a… You know." She mumbled. "This is all my fault."

"So, you did bite her?" Tate asked.

"No! I was asleep last night. I took the Wolfsbane potion, that makes me like a dog asleep during a transformation. And besides, I'm not nearly that big when I transform, and I never knew there was a house in the forest. I've never been in." Ramira sighed again. She still looked extremely queasy and worried, like she knew or suspected something but wasn't letting on.

"I need to go see Grace tomorrow."

"Thanks, Ramira. Sorry to spring that in you." Sophie whispered. She seemed frightened.

"Yeah. I'll get to bed now. I'm still really tired from.. Well." She hurried off to her nook and left Tate and Sophie in a subdued silence.

"Well, good night." Sophie yawned. Tate scrambled into her nook, carrying Poppy like a little doll, and settled in for bed.


End file.
